196103

196103 196103

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NOVEL APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTERS
AND DATA PROCESSORS
Automated Material Control
The Advantages of Numerically Controlled Machine Tools
MARCH
1961
VOL. 10 -

•

NO. 3 &

a DATA-PHON E case history

Biggest DATA-PHONE system

in the United States toda;l{,'
\
I
A midwestern insurance company sets a dramatic
example for users of data-processing equipment

The Hardware Mutuals - Sentry
Life insurance group is using a new
data-communications system to
speed data handling by 500 per cent
and reduce operating costs by over
a million dollars a year.

A Data-Phone unit is connected to
business machines at both the sending and receiving locations. A phone
call is put through-and the machines immediately start "talking"
data. It's that simple.

The new system makes use of the
nationwide Long Distance telephone network. It combines the
Bell System's new Data-Phone service with data processing equipment
to send business records from 32
branches to the company's centralized computer center at Stevens
Point, Wisconsin.

The system is as flexible as the
telephone network itself. The insurance company pays for telephone
circuits only when using them, as
for any branch-to-headquarters call.
And Data-Phone takes up little more
space than a standard typewriter.

Machines "talk" to machines
All kinds of daily operating data,
from widely scattered points, are
handled efficiently and accurately at
speeds up to 200 words per minute.
The data is keyed into punch cards.

- .
_?;o""

Learn how high-speed, low-cost
Data-Phone service can streamline
your company's data processing. Just
call your Bell Telephone Business
Office and ask for a Communications Consultant. He'll bring you
the complete story.

The one source for all business communications
.. ,,~
,,';:Ml'';~jIjI!:

James P. Jacobs, President,
Hardware Mutuals - Sentry Life
insurance group, says:

"Our new data-processing technique-with the rapid communication of data made possible by
Data-Phone-is benefiting our
business in many important ways.
"It lets us collect the mass of
information we need for management decisions almost instantly.
It has cut the time needed for
certain policy-handling functions
from three days to three minutes.
It is reducing our operating costs
by over $1,000,000 a year and is
helping us give our policyholders
better service than ever before.

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"Naturally, we're enthusiastic
about it."

prj

BELL TELEPHONE

SYSTEM

10:

~S9CIATEDC.O~vide
sublaties
The
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cuits
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ents

... even four times faster than any previous Philco 2000 systems
i. /

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age

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I /

Philco 2000 Data Processing Systems have always been among the fastest
and most reliable. Now, the new model 212 central processor brings an
entirely new concept in data processing speed, efficiency and flexibility to
business, industry and science.
Advanced four-way processing, which permits simultaneous processing of
four instructions; faster circuits, with diode-transistor logic; improved
internal organization; all contribute to the tremendous speed of the 212
... four times faster than any previous model. For example, it can perform
639,000 additions in one second.
.
Faster running time, more effective use of memory and reduced programming time, result in the greatest possible economy in data processing.
The 212 central processor is fully compatible with all Philco 2000 systems.
You can install a Philco 2000 system now, utilizing either the model 210 or
211 central processor, and as your work load increases, replace the central
processor with the model 212, without reprogramming! Write today for
complete information.

/
ry,

Features
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Asynchronous design
Fully compatible with other Philco computers
Faster circuits
Diode-transistor logic
Improved internal organization
Simplified maintenance
Multiplication range between 3 and
12 microseconds, average of 8 microseconds
• Advanced four-way processing. Permits four
instructions to be processed simultaneously
• Access time of 1 microsecond for a pair
of instructions
• Expanded instruction catalog of
248 instructions
• Four modes of automatic index register
modification for maximum program efficiency
• Expanded repeat functions to allow automatic
looping of up to four instructions

'p.,
len
PHILCO CORPORATION • GOVERNMENT & INDUSTRIAL GROUP • COMPUTER DIVISION, 3900 WELSH
:j(jl

CO~IPUTERS

and AUTOMATION for March, 1!lOI

ROAD, WILLOW GROVE, PA.

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T E R S

atzd AUTOMATION

COMPUTERS AND DATA PROCESSORS, AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION,
APPLICATIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS, INCLUDING AUTOMATION
Volume 10
Number 3 & 3B

TI
dud(
troni
sente
in tE
the I
tratil
Leve
El,

Established
September 1951

MARCH, 1961

EDMUND C. BERKELEY
Editor
NEIL D. MACDONALD Assistant Editor
MOSES M. BERLIN
Assistant Editor
PATRICK J. McGOVERN Assistant Editor

42
pri

Vol.

10~

No. 3B

OSI

News of Computers and Data Processors:

ACROSS THE EDITOR'S DESK

basis
plied

inserted between pages 8 and 9
and between pages 24 and 25

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

need
cent
secti
for
men

ANDREW D. BOOTH
NED CHAPIN
JOHN W. CARR, III
ALSTON S. HOUSEHOLDER
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MORTON M. ASTRAHAN
HOWARD T. ENGSTROM
GEORGE E. FORSYTHE
RICHARD W. HAMMING
ALSTON S. HOUSEHOLDER
HERBERT F. MITCHELL, JR.
SAMUEL B. WILLIAMS
SALES AND SERVICE DIRECTOR
EDMUND C. BERKELEY
815 Washington St.
Newtonville 60, Mass.
DEcatur 2-5453
ADVERTISING REPRESENT A TIVES
Los Angeles 5 WENTWORTH F. GREEN
439 So. Western Ave. DUnkirk 7-8135
A. S. BABCOCK
San Francisco 5
605 Market St.
YUkon 2-3954
Elsewhere
EDMUND C. BERKELEY
815 Washington St.
DEcatur 2-5453
Newtonville 60, Mass.

COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION is published 13 times a year
(monthly except two issues in July) at 815 Washington St.,
Newtonville 60, Mass., by Berkeley Enterprises, Inc. Printed in
U.S.A.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (United States) $7.50 for 1 year,
$14.50 for 2 years; (Canada) $8.00 for 1 year, $15.50 for 2
years; (Foreign) $8.50 for 1 year, $16.50 for 2 years. Address
all Editorial and Subscription Mail to Berkeley Enterprises, Inc.,
815 Washington St., Newtonville 60, Mass.
ENTERED AS SECOND CLASS MATTER at the Post Office
at Boston, Mass.
POSTMASTER: Please send all Forms 3579 to Berkeley Enterprises, Inc., 815 Washington St., Newtonville 60, Mass.
Copyright, 1961, by Berkeley Enterprises, Inc.
CHANGE of ADDRESS: If your address changes, please send us
both your new address and your old address (as it appears on the
magazine address imprint), and allow three weeks for the change
to be made.

Com

NOVEL APPLICATIONS OF
COMPUTERS AND DATA PROCESSORS
Digital Computer Instead of Stable Platform in Inertial
Navigation Systems, S. H. McALONEY
"Writing Letters" on Past Due Accounts,
WILLIAM R. PLATT
"Suggesting Improvements" in the Design of Circuits,
and Other Engineering Work, J. R. LAMB, JR.
Voice Reporting of Current Stock Prices Upon
Interrogation, WALTER CLARK.
A Coordinate Conversion Computer for Project Echo,
JOHN V. COCKIN .
Aptitude Testing and Answer Timing by Use of a
Computer in Real Time, WOLF RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT CORP.

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FRONT COVER

Telephone Terminal to Outer Space

1, 21

ARTICLES

Automated Material Control, PAUL L. RUSSELL.
The Automatic Meteorological Observation Station
(AMOS) Computer,
NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS
.
The Advantages of Numerically Controlled Machine
Tools, G. S. JOLLIS .
Computer Monitoring of Reactor Radioactivity Levels,
DR. JAN PAUL.

eve]

sun

15
19

inst
and
put
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nol
con
ver:

READERS' AND EDITOR'S FORUM

Optimization of Business Operations - More Discussion,
RA YMOND OVERELL.
.
.
The Siemens 2002, MAJER-TRENDEL
Calendar of Coming Events.

T
con
and

21
21
22

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Bel
1
g

REFERENCE INFORMATION

24
26

Survey of Recent Articles, MOSES M. BERLIN
Books and Other Publications, MOSES M. BERLIN

che

INDEX OF NOTICES

Advertising Index
Computer Directory and Buyers' Guide
Glossary of Terms
Manuscripts
Reference and Survey Information
Who's Who Entry Form.

1
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see
see

Feb.,
Feb.,
Feb.,
Feb.,

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page
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COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

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Design changes double power of Honeywell 400

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Internal speed increased to 10,000 three-address operations a second; new independent
console, FACT business compiler, optional off-line printing, more optional tape drives.

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Honeywell's EDP Division has greatly broadened the application of Honeywell 400 - and extended the benefits of
electronic data processing to more companies - by incorporating into this System a number of outstanding new
features. These new developments, a result of Honeywell's
continuous research, have further enhanced the pre-eminence
of Honeywell 400 in its class. And, except for the new
optional features, there has been no increase in cost.

Internal speed iumps - The internal speed of the Honeywell 400 is now approximately 10,000 three-address operations per second - the equivalent of 20,000 one-address
operations. Multiplication is about twice as fast as before,
and division about four times as fast. Multiply time for a six
non-zero digit multiplier is 1.9 ,milliseconds. Division times
range from 1.6 to 8.6 milliseconds.
FACT business compiler available - Now, in addition
to the EASY assembly program, the FACT compiler is available with Honeywell 400. FACT, a widely acclaimed, highly
efficient automatic programming system, is unique in that it
can be applied to all typical functions of business data processing with ease and uniformity. This includes input editing,
sorting, processing of variable-length records, and report
writing.
tem price of $8,660 a month is a new independent console
equipped with a keyboard, printer, and breakpoint switches.
This new console enables Honeywell 400 operators to communicate more easily with the System.
off~line printing - Now organizations such as
public utilities and insurance companies can print bills
or premium notices in huge volume without attenuating
the important processing work going on inside their Honeywell 400.
An off-line printing configuration consisting of a printer,
high-speed magnetic tape unit, and electronic control equipment is now available at a rental of $3,500 per month.

Optional

More tape drives may be connected - The maximum

ell
ics

,\,O

number of magnetic tape units which may be used with the
Honeywell 400 has been increased from six to eight. (Basic
system includes four tape units.)

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SUMMARY OF KEY FEATURES
Basic package: Includes central processor, four highspeed magnetic tape units, console and console printer, highspeed printer and card reader.
Price of basic package: Monthly rental- $8,660 per
month. Price -

Expansion now easy. economical - By vastly increasing the processing power without increasing the price, and
by making new optional equipment available, the new
Honeywell 400 gives users power to spare for the years of
growth ahead. It also makes easy and economical the possible
future jump to Honeywel1 800, the most powerful of all
computers in the Honeywell family.

$390,000.

Options: Various input-output devices including off-line
printing, up to four additional tape units, card punch
(100 or 250 cards per minute), paper tape input and output
units.
EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS
CENTRAL PROCESSOR:
Speed
Memory
Checking
Features
Options

New independent console - Included in the basic sys-

)ls
or

The outstanding performance of Honeywell 400 in the
areas of storage and high-speed manipulation of large volumes of data make it exceptionally efficient at sorting and
file maintenance ..

MAGNETIC TAPES:
Speed
Features

PRINTER:

Speed
Horizontal
span
Features

CARD READER:
Speed
Feature

CONSOLE:

Features

10,000 (approx.) 3-address operations per second.
1,024 words of core memory (approx. 10,000
characters).
Internal parity checking.
Simultaneous read·write, special automatic editing
provisions, high·speed sorting ability.
Multiply·divide, print storage for simultaneity with
other operations, additional memory.
96,000 decimal digits per second.
Identical to Honeywell 800 tape units.
Orthotronic Control (automatic error detection and
correction).
900 lines per minute.
120 columnar positions.
Up to 10 clean carbons, rugged construction, fully
checked.
.
650 cards per minute.
Fully checked.
Printer and keyboard for both input and output,
breakpoint switches.

AUTOMATIC PROGRAMMING AIDS:
EASY Assembly Program.
FACT Business Compiler.

If you have any questions about this new and more powerful
Honeywell 400, just write Honeywell EDP, Wellesley Hills
81, Mass. Or Honeywell Controls Limited, Toronto 17,
Ontario.

Honey"\lVell
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Novel Applications of Computers

Com
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Neil Macdonald

D.
ar

Assistant Editor of Computers and Automation

From time to time, Computers and Automation
publishes a section on "Novel Applications of Computers." Here is the call for information which we
sent out on January 24:
The March issue of Computers and Automation
will contain a special section on:
NOVEL APPLICATIONS OF COlYIPUTERS
AND DATA PROCESSORS
H you have, or know of, any novel or unusual
a pplications of computers or data processors, we
should be very glad to publish three to six paragraphs about them, with the author's name.
Pictures will be considered also.
lY1ay we hear from you by Friday, February 10,
the closing date [or the "March issue?
If at any time you have any "novel applications of
computers or data processors" to report, please write
to us sending us the asked-for information, and we
shall be glad to publish it in an early issue.

DIGITAL COMPUTER INSTEAD OF STABLE
PLATFORM IN INERTIAL NAVIGATION
SYSTEMS
S. H. McAloney
Ford Instrument Company
Division of Sperry Rand Corp.
Long Island City I, .N. Y.

Two new special-purpose digital computers, now
being designed and built by Ford Instrument Co. as
part of the AN j AJN-7 "strapped-down" inertial
navigation system, moved recently from the theoretical to the hardware stage with construction of the first
equipment modules.
Developed by Ford Instrument, under U. S. Air
Force contract, for the V\Teapons Guidance Laboratory
of 'Vright Air Development Command, the new
"Fordac" computer is the heart of an airborne inertial navigation system that does away with the
"stable platform" of conventional inertial navigation
systems. The new system is called a "strapped-down"
inertial system (or sometimes a "platformless" or "nogimbal" system) because the gyroscopic components
are body-mounted. The usual functions of a stable
platform are performed by the computer mathematically.
In its final configuration "Fordac" will be a compact, lightweight, all-solid-state computer especially
suited for airborne packaging. It employs novel techniques to compute and maintain the nine direction
6

cosines that relate the coordinate system defining
the vehicle axes to a space-fixed [rame of reference.
The name "Fordac" is derived from the words "Ford
Altitude Computer."
In conventional inertial navigation systems, the
moving gimbal structure requires a great deal of unobstructed space. Usually, space requirlments increase with accuracy requirements. F)rthermore,
gimbal structures must be built to exper~sivel)' close
tolerances. All of these problems are byp;'Lssed in the
AN jAJN-7 system.
.
The second computer, which was deyeloped by
Ford Instrument under a supplement to ;:he original
AN j AJN-7 contract, is a new solid state digital COlllputer that combines incremental and DDA (Digital
Differential Analysis) techniques. The computer has
been nicknamed "Poco" [rom POsition COmputer.
It will combine the output of "Fordac" with information from vehicle sensors to compute the position of
the vehicle with respect to the earth.

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"WRITING LETTERS" ON PAST DUE
ACCOUNTS
William R. Platt
The National Cash Register Co.
Dayton 9, Ohio

An NCR 304 Electronic Data Processor writes letters
on past-due accounts for Johnson'S 'I\Tax.
Actually, letter writing is just a small part of the
job done by the system. The NCR 30"1 processes
orders received from 23 branches over leased wires,
checks credit of purchasers, and prints invoices, bills
of lading, and shipping labels. The processor also
keeps an inventory for all 23 branch warehouses and
the main warehouse and regulates shipments from
factory to warehouse and from warehouse to warehouse so as to keep shipping costs down while maintaining an adequate supply of products at every outlet. Furthermore, the system handles payroll, accounts
receivable. accounts payable and other accounting
operations.
If an order exceeds the purchaser'S allowable credit,
the system prints out his complete credit history with
Johnson's 'I\Tax, and also his Dun & Bradstreet rating
and any other pertinent information available for
review by the credit manager.
The letters on past-due accounts are pre-printed.
The NCR 304 addresses them and fills in the details
of the transaction on which payment is overdue.
There are four letters in the series, but only three
are sent to anyone customer in a given sequence.
One letter is sent as a second letter if the situation
COMPUTERS O1ul AUTOMATION for March, 1961

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remains unchanged; a different letter is sent if another
payment has become past due in the interval since
the first letter was sent.

"SUGGESTING IMPROVEMENTS" IN THE
DESIGN OF CIRCUITS, AND OTHER
ENGINEERING WORK
J. R. Lamb, Jr.

5630

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General Precision Inc.
Pleasantville, N. Y.

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In regard to computers used to assist engineering
here, we have used the LGP-30, made by Librascope
and marketed by Royal McBee, Port Chester, N.Y.,
[or a wide variety of design applications.
These include (1) exploring the characteristics of
filters for frequency trackers of Doppler radar navigation systems, (2) studies of the altitude-hold effect
and its relation to antenna design in Doppler systems,
(3) space navigation studies and error calculations,
(4) calculations of the effects of frequency modulation
in a carrier.
In addition, the computer has been used to check
the reliability of designed circuits, and to re-design
them when necessary to improve performance or to
alter input-output specifications.
Take, for example, one such application, a fourtransistor flip-flop. To begin with, the circuit used a
basic two-transistor amplifier at each output. At the
start of the analysis, an engineer writes separate, independent, nodal equations to satisfy the circuit. In
these equations, the currents are expressed in terms
of voltages across resistors. The engineer then establishes the criteria for circuit stability.
The basic equations describing the circuit and
giving component values are then inserted in the
LGP-30. The computer makes a run for each set of
data with different values of transistor characteristics.
It assigns a value to each resistor and voltage in the
circuit. Each run differs from the others by a variation of one or more of the parameters involved.
The effects of aging, high temperature, fluctuations
in power supplies, initial spread of transistor, and
parameters of other components are evaluated. In
some cases, the effects of several parameter changes
can be lumped into a single, properly weighted,
hypothetical parameter. ';\Then the computer finds a
circuit with inadequate reliability, it can "suggest
improvements" by introducing modifications of component values.

; 2)

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VOICE REPORTING OF CURRENT STOCK
PRICES UPON INTERROGATION
Walter Clark
Teleregister Corll.
445 Fairfield Ave., Stamford, Conn.

s of
lIate
ago.
:omilliOlls
tioll

A talking data processor will soon be reporting
stock quotations over the telephone to brokers of the
American Stock Exchange. Being built by The Teleregister Corporation, this processor is believed to be
the ,,"orld's first commercial system to use automatic
voice output.
This 'is a real-time, on-line system. It will keep a
continuously updated record of price and volume
information on 1100 stocks, and will announce this

1!J()1

COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 19GI

hiss I
the
COt',

data to some 750 brokers upon being interrogated via
telephone dial. Within two seconds after a broker
finishes dialing a stock code number, he will be
listening to a report which will include the stock
symbol, the prices, "bid, offer, open, high, low and
last," volume, and size (number of shares bid for
and offered).
The heart of the system, called a Telefile®, is a
real-time data processor which can answer 20 inquiries per second, and which can talk to hundreds
of brokers simultaneously, giving reports on any
selection of different stocks.
Input to the magnetic storage is by keysets. The
audio sub-system of the data processor stores a
vocabulary sufficient for any possible reporting requirement. Subscribing brokers need only their
regular telephones to obtain information from the
data processor; but teletype inquiry and print-out is
also available where desired.
Future functions of the Telefile may include
operating the American Stock Exchange ticker system,
performing clearing functions, and doing billing. It
can also be expanded to handle more stocks and serve
more subscribers.
The system is to be in operation by early 196;)
and will cost $3,000,000.
The New York Telephone Co. cooperated on the
communications phase and will supply the telephone
lines.

A COORDINATE CONVERSION COMPUTER
FOR PROJECT ECHO
John V. Cockin
Comlluter Control Co., Inc.
Framingham, Mass.

Project Echo is sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to prove the technical feasibility of two-way microwave communication
between the U.S.A.'s East and ';\Test Coasts using a
100-foot aluminized balloon satellite as a reflector
orbiting 1,000 miles above the earth.
The earth's curvature constitutes a natural barrier
to microwave transmission beyond the horizon. Previous attempts to bounce microwaves off layers in the
ionosphere have not proved to be consistently dependable. Once the technological objectives of Project
Echo have been established, a very important new
method of global communication becomes available.
A significant contribution to the success of this
project is a Coordinate Conversion Computer
designed and built by this company for the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Calif., a research facility of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The computer operates at a one-megacycle clock rate
and continually positions the two 85-foot parabolic
antennas at the West Coast (Goldstone, Calif.) site
to track the orbiting satellite. The two antennas,
their servo-drive systems, tracking optics, a microwave
data link, and the coordinate converter combine to
form a closed-loop tracking system.
The COlllpliter performs the following- functions:
(I) Accepts data on satellite position from precompllted orbit data recorded on paper tape,
or frolll receiver antenna position data.
7

(2) Directs both receiving and transllllttmg antennas in hour-angle declination and azimuthelevation coordinates, respectively.
(3) Computes orbital data from stored parameters
by integrating the satellite's differential equations of motion. In these computations the
Computer considers and makes corrections for
parallax due to earth curvature and physical
separation of the receiving and transmitting
antennas.
(4) Extrapolates continuously to produce a
smooth, well-timed, continuous series of commands between the computed commands
appearing everyone and two seconds.
(5) Time-compares all input orbit data for realtime computation.
(6) Generates error signals by a digital comparison
of the digital antenna position readout signals
and the computed position data.
(7 Introduces digital offset signals to correct for
system misalignment.
(8) Generates a rectangular search scan pattern
for the antenna.
(9) Accepts the receiver antenna readout as computer inputs and transforms these coordinates
to position the transmitter antenna. In this
mode the two antennas are directed to the
same point in space through a radio freq uency
lock on the received microwaves.
The Computer proper is a general-purpose computer utilizing a stored program. The high-speed
serial-parallel arithmetic unit performs the necessary
coordinate conversions and parallax corrections. It
provides output commands to the digital servos
within 20 milliseconds from the time of input commands. These rapid computations are necessary to
maintain systems synchronization and to reduce phase
shift. In the time between basic computations the
system integrates the differential equations of the
satellite's motion. This computation provides an
independent means of tracking the satellite should
input data be in error or fail to be received. The
Computer is given position data and velocity vectors
of the satellite for a given time. These values are
precalculated by a computing center at another location. Using this information the Coordinate Conversion Computer starts integrating the equations
about one minute before the satellite balloon appears
above the horizon. The Coordinate Conversion Computer keeps equations updated and synchronizes them
with real-time.
\\Thile the Computer is operating from the orbital
integration data, the commands to the digital servos
are given at one-second intervals. \\Then working
from stored data on punched tape, the commands
are given every two seconds. The Computer word
length is 25 bits, including sign. The Computer can
perform high speed addition, subtraction and multiplication. It can compute A
B X C
D in 50
microseconds. \I\Then multiplying it can transmit the
product back to the multiplier or multiplicand
registers controlled from the multiplication command.
Built-in operations include octant reduction, sinecosine manipulation, time conversion, maxnTIum

absolute value comparisons, extract or logical prodpcts, and block transfers.
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elude

APTITUDE TESTING AND ANSWER TIMING
BY USE OF A COMPUTER IN REAL TIME
Wolf Research and Development Corp.
Boston 16, Mass.

A computer program which aids in the screening
and selection of computer programmers has been
developed by this company.
A Bendix G-15D computer has been programmed
to administer multiple choice tests of 100 or less
questions. The program is used in real time. Richard
P. Gagan, an analyst, and lVII'S. Frances Tessler, a
programmer, devised the test. Time, as well as correct
and incorrect answers, is an important element in
evaluating the results of tests taken by applicants in
this method.
T!le program is known as "PAT"-Programmer
AptItude Tester. To take the test, an applicant seats
hImself at the computer typewriter. Questions are
contained on cards; a choice of five answers, one of
'~hich i~ correct, is provided. The computer is proVIded WIth a corresponding answer sheet. \\Then the
applicant has selected his answer, he types in the
number of it. The computer then types out the
num?er of the nex~ question, and automatically starts
to tIme the applIcant on that question, stopping
when the answer is typed in.
UI?on completion of the test, a raw score (number
of nght ans:vers ]~linus one-quarter of the wrong
answers), a tIme-adJusted score, and the mean time
per question are typed out, followed by the tillle in
seconds and results on each question.
The program is general enough for use with any
multiple choice test.

THE COMPUTER DIRECTORY AND BUYERS'
GUIDE FOR 1961, 7TH ANNUAL EDITION
The Computer Directory and Buyers' Guide for
1961,. the 7th annual edition, will be published this
year In July on a new basis.
. We shall seek .to ~ake it a complete and inclusive
dIrectory and gUlde for the greatly expanding field of
computers and data processors.
It will contain at least the following reference
information:
1. Roster of Organizations

2.
3.
4.
5.

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Roster of Products and Services: The Buyers' Guide
Roster of Computing Services
Roster of Consulting Services
Descriptions of General Purpose Digital Computing
Systems
6. Descriptions of Analog Computers
7. Descriptions of Special Purpose Computers
and other reference information

nom
of tl

For subscriptions received March 1 and later, the
"Computer Directory" will no longer be automatically
included in every subscription to "Computers and
AU,tamation." The price of the directory will be $12
before p'ublica~ion, $15 ~fter p~blication. Any purchaser of the dIrectory wIll receIve the monthly issues
of "Computers and Automation" at no additional
cost. If the directory is not included in a subscription,
the price of the monthly issues of "Computers and
Automation" will remain at .$7.50 per year (in the
United States).

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CO~fPUTERS

and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

A
pcct
cont
The
tena
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CO:

NEWS

Computers

and

Data

Processors

~~ACROSS

THE EDITOR'S DESK"

COMPUTERS AND AUTOMATION
Volume 10
Number 3B

MARCH 2, 1961

Established
September 1951

Published by Berkeley Enterprises, Inc., 815 Washington St., Newtonville 60, Mass.

EIGHT POUND MEMORY OOUM
STORES 358,000 BITS
ld

:es

Sperry Gyroscope Company
Division of Sperry Rand Corp.
Great Neck, New York
A miniature memory drum that
can spin indefinitely and store
an extraordinary amount of information within its baseballsize, cylindrical frame has been
designed by this company.
The drum is able to operate
"reliably under extremely adverse
conditions, and turns in an airbearing suspension. It can be
made to almost any size to fit
the application.

The eight-pound aluminum cylinder can store information at
600 bits to the incn, and can
hold 358,000 bits of information,
about six times tnat of a comparable commercial drum.
'Floating magnetic neads It
pick up and record data; they are
cushioned on a film of air one
ten-thousandth of an inch above
the drum's surface.
Tne drum also has a '~ne
word loop", which speeds computer performance by enabling it to
utilize information virtually as
fast as it receives it and deposits it on the drum.

-- An engineer in an ultra-clean, hospitallike laboratory tests the performance of the
newly-developed computer memory drum, which
is able to store 358,000 bits of information
in its baseball-size frame. It is suspended
on air bearings, instead of conventional ball
bearings, and should be able to perform indefinitely, making it very suitable for
prolonged use in space.

COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

NEW MAGNETIC MEMORY DISC FILE DELIVERED
Joseph E. Smith, Gen. Mgr.
Bryant Computer Products
852 Ladd Road
Walled Lake, Mich.

of vertical discs. "Reading" and "writing" of
information are accomplished by air-floated
transducers which scan the sides of the discs.

The first random access, mass memory device made by an independent equipment supplier
to the electronic computer industry has been
delivered by this company.

A disc file may contain from one to 20
discs; they use a common base structure and
a common drive system housed in a centralized
pedestal mounted on the base. The discs are
mounted on interchangeable precision spindles
of the length required for the number of discs
in a unit. Rotational speeds of 900-1200 RPM
are standard.

The memory device is a magnetic disc
file, which combines the reliability and fast
access of magnetic drum memories, and the
high capacity and low cost of magnetic tape
memories.

"Reading" and "writing" on each disc face
is accomplished by six magnetic heads mounted
on a rocker arm which is movable to permit
each head to serve 128 tracks. All of the
rocker arms are locked together for movement

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A broad line of disc files, ranging in
capacity from 30 million to 600 million bits
of information is to be produced. Maximum
access time of all units is 167 milliseconds,
including 100 milliseconds for positioning.
Average access time excluding positioning is
34 milliseconds. Cost per bit will range
from one-tenth of a cent in the smallest unit
to one-fortieth of a cent in the largest.

as a unit under control of a digital actuator.
The actuator is an open-loop, hydraulic system capable of moving the heads to anyone of
128 positions with an accuracy of better than
0.0005 inches. Positioning is accomplished
in less than one-tenth of a second in response
to seven binary address signals. Positioning
accuracy is guaranteed for the life of the
file.

The disc files are pr0cision electromechanical devices, in which business information is stored in magnetic code on a number

The recording surface of each disc is ~
hard magnetic oxide, micro-finished to insure
recovery of all recorded information, and to

C:OMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

nE
CI

maintain a normal signal-to-noise ratio of
40 to 1.

•

Simultaneous positioning of all heads
makes parallel "reading" and "writing" with
a number of heads inherently possible. Clock
tracks are used to time reauing and writing
accurately, and thus permit selective alteration of recorded information. A single set
of six clock tracks is normally provided for
the entire disc file, with one track for each
of the six heads per disc side. Recordirig
frequencies ranging from 174 kc in the innermost tracks of a disc to 431 kc in the outermost tracks, based upon a maximum pulse packing of 273 bits per inc~ are standard.
Read and write circuits, head switching,
and clock circuits are completely transistorized and modularly packaged to facilitate assembling uf systems to meeting special needs
for serial, parallel, or serial-parallel recording capability.
Additional flexibility may be achieved
by incluJing multiple, individually-addressable actuators, each controlling the position
of a group of heads, or by including a second
set of heads, serving the same tracks and
positioned by an independent actuator.

VERSATILE

DIGI1~L

TRANSDUCERS

De-Jur Amsco Corp.
Northern Blvd. & 45th St.
Long Island City I, N.Y.
Development and production of sensors
and transducers for direct use with digital
computers ha3 not kept pace with the tremendous progress of the digital computer industr~
st

Seeking to bridge this gap, this company
has developed a complete line of digital transducers with true digital outputs. These devices reduce the overall size of instrumentation and control systems, increase their reliability and produce results which can be
directly stored and used in digital computers.

tional to the input forcing function. Output
(1) is commonly referred to as pulse duration
modulation (PDM); the width of the pulse in
time units (microseconds) is directly proportional to the input signal. Output (2) is
pulse position modulation (PPM) and consists
of a reference pulse and a signal pulse whose
position in time deviates from the reference
pulse in direct proportion to the input signal.
Output (3) is shown as pulse frequency modulation (PFM) and is made up of a number of pulses
with thitotal per unit time directly proportional to the input.
Important features which characterize
this unusual digital transducer is its ability
to sense many different sources of energy in
one miniature self-contained package, and deliver a true digital signal output directly
proportional to the amount of energy detected.
Als~ its solid state circuits make this transducer relatively impervious to environmental
variations. This desirable characteristic to
withstand exposure to extremes of environment
is a critical requirement necessary for military applications. Another advantage is the
ability to pre-calibrate the digital output to
correspond directly with the value of the
parameter being measured without need for
zero suppression. For example, a digital
pressure transducer with a full range of
0-1000 psi can be made to indicate an output
of 0-1000 microseconds (PDM or PPM) for this
input pressure range.
Together with its new line of subminiature pressure instruments, digital pressure
transducers for pressure ranges from 5 to 8000
psi can be supplied. Minor revisions will
convert this device to a digital temperature
or digital acceleration transducer.
FIGURE 1
(a) DIGITAL TRANSDUCER~

r;:---TRAl'~SDUCER

OR
SENSOR

------,
SOLID STATE I
A- D
COIWERTER

INPUT L..:
FORCING

DIGITAL
OUTPUT

FUNCTIOl~

Figure lea) block diagram illustrates the
principle of operation of these transducers.
The input forcing function can originate from
several primary sources of energy (pressure,
temperature, acceleration, rate of flow, etc.).
When fed into the transducer or sensor, the
analog signal is subsequently converted into
a true digital signal by means of solid-state
conversion circuits.
Figure l(b) illustrates various types 'of
time base outputs that can be made available
from the converter, and are directly propor-

COMPUTEHS and AUTOl\1ATION for March, 1961

(b) TYPES OF DIGITAL TRANSDUCER OUTPUT
(I) PULSE DURATION MODULATIor~ (PDM)
( 2)

PULSE POSITION lI;ODDLATION (PPtti)

-.Jl-----'~'-

_ _L

REF.
SIGNAL

(3) PULSE FREQUENCY IilODULATION (PFM)

AUTOilil\TIC COMPUTING OF PARKING CHARGES
Airport Parking Co. of America
1306 ~rospect Ave.
Cleveland 15, Ohio
The first airport parking installation
of automatic computing equipment to hasten
the in-and-out flow of motorists, and make
sure of the accuracy of the fees charged, is
being tested by the Airport Parking Company
of America in its lot at the Washington, D.C.
National Airport.

the computer adds up the cash
flashes it on a lighted panel
to the motorist, who thus can
tor in making certain the fee

total due and
easily visible
be his own audiis correct.

The system in use at the Washington National Airport is a Unipark Parking Computer,
produced by the Universal ~atch Corporation.
An automatic coder and dispenser of tickets is being designed; it will code, stamp, and
cut off a ticket, and present it to the customer
within easy reach on the driver's side, thus
making entry into the parking lot even faster.
This company now has automatic equipment
of various types in more than half of its airport and downtown parking facilities, and is
planning many additional installations.
The new computing system offers particularly good possibilities for airport parking,
because motorists using these facilities are
usually in a hurry, either to catch a plane
or to get home after a trip. Automatic computing to prevent delays is a major step in
speeding entrance and exit, as well as assuring correct charying and improved financial
controls.
COMPUTING IVlAP GRIDS FOR READING
SATELLITE WEATHER PICTURES
Allied Research Associates
43 Leon St.
Boston 15, Mass.
1.

The ticket coder shown in the doorway
punches the time of entry into the
parking ticket, in the test installation of automatic computing equipment
at the Washington D.C. National Airport. When the motorist's parking
check is fed into the slot of the
automatic computer, the computer
figures out the fee in less than 3
seconds, and flashes it on the easily
visible panel at the upper right. -As the motorist enters the lot, he receives a claim check with a pattern of
punches expressing the time of entry. The
same information is printed on a ticket stub
which can be slipped under the windshield
wiper or placed with the customer's keys in
the attendant's shelter, for use if the motorist loses his own parking ticket.
When the customer leaves the lot, his
ticket is inserted in a ticket reader slot
of a parking computer. In 3 seconds or less,
4B

By Robert A. Fischer, Development Planner

We at Allied Research were most interested
to read the account "Computer Handling Satellite
Weather Data," which appeared on page IB of the
January 1961, issue of your magazine. Recently
some significant advances have been made·in the
state of the art which should be of interest to
your readers. These are described in the following remarks by Dr. Christopher Dean of our
company.
II.

By Dr. Christopher Dean, Senior Scientist

The perspective grids to which your article
refers were produced by this company as part of
their first-generation techniques for operational TIROS data processing. They permitted maximum flexibility during the initial experimental
work by using an auxiliary coordinate grid (the
"rectangular grid" referred to in the article)
which is thought of as sliding along the
earth's surface so as to be always directly
centered on the TIROS optical axis. Conversion to latitude and longitude involved a
second step.
COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

More recently, the company has developed
and delivered to the TIROS II meteorological
unit at Pt. Mugu, California, a program for
the Bendix G-15 computer and plotter which
will generate an individual perspective grid
of true latitude and longitude for each TIROS
picture. Grids are now prepared by a computer at the site shortly before each telemetry
period, so that the picture interpretation
can start immediately. Because true latitude
and longitude are shown directly, the meteorological information can be transferred directly from the projected picture onto a
standard ,map base, saving time and eliminating
errors.

Once the engineering specifications are
placed in the computer, the equipment can be
asked to produce drawings of any view or crosssection of the part in three dimensions.
Not only can the machine produce a mechanical drawing directly from a computer code but
also it can use the same code to produce tapes
to operate the production equipment.
Any individual view on microfilm frame
can be photographically enlarged and reproduced in any quantity. An accessory unit permits automatic processing and projection of
the film on a 2' x 2' screen within 8 seconds.

In the most recent version of the Allied
Research program, the G-15 computer uses satellite orbit and orientation constants to
calculate the parameters needed for each picture. With this program the grids for an entire sequence of pictures are produced automatically. This procedure eliminates a considerable amount of effort heretofore required to obtain these parameters graphically
and to read them individually into the machine.
~lliCHANICAL DRAWINGS REPRODUCED IN
ONE-HALF SECOND BY COMPUTER, CATHODE RAY
TUBE, AND MICROFILM

Stromberg-Carlson-San Diego
Division of General Dynamics Corp.
San Diego 12, Calif.
Complex engineering drawings can now be
produced by electron beams in less than onehalf second from information supplied by a
computer.
This company's S-C 4020 High-Speed Microfilm Recorder can use a mathematical code supplied by a computer and an electron beam for
drawing; it then produces lines, curves, symbols, dimensions, captions, etc., necessary
to give detailed drawings, in a fraction of a
second. The views are produced on a cathode
ray tube and photographed on microfilm.

This complex circuit diagram was automatically drawn with an electron beam
on the face of the 7-inch Charactron
Shaped Beam Tube in the StrombergCarlson S-C 4020 High-Speed Microfilm
Recorder. The equipment records
drawings on 35-mm microfilm in less
than one-half second. --

Until the development of this equipment,
it might require from a week to a month to
take a design engineer's ideas, convey them
to a draftsman, produce an engineering drawing for the machine tool operator, and then
have the parts made.
Now, a computer can be programmed with
the contours and specifications of the part
to be designed, and the information trans~
ferred to the Microfilm Recorder. This device then makes mechanical drawings of the
part from a specified viewpoint in a fraction of a second.
COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, '1961

NEW COMPUTER SERVICE
FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED COMPANIES
National Cash Register Co.
50 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, N.Y.
A new computer service will make electronic data processing available for the first
time to companies as small as a neighborhood
store with one cash register. This computer
service was opened in New York in January by
this company, which plans to offer similar
service in major cities throughout the United
States.
Equipped with a new $75,000 computer,
the NCR 390, the service will automatically
prepare sales and inventory reports, payrolls,
customer bills and other business records.
The center will be able to handle recordkeeping jobs for many different types of business firms, including stores, manufacturing
plants, brokerage houses and others.
In one hour, the desk-size NCR 390 computer can automatically turn out a detailed
analysis of 50,000 retail transactions. In
less than an hour, it can figure the earnings
and deductions for a company with 250 employees, write their pay checks and prepare
a complete payroll record for each individual.
Any company equipped with a National Cash
Register adding machine plus a punched paper
tape recorder will be able to use the new lowcost computer service. The computers also
process paper tape created by accounting machines and cash registers equipped with recorders. In addition to punched tape, the
centers also will process punched cards.

Companies will be able to obtain from
the new service daily, weekly and monthly
breakdowns showing sales and profits for each
department an~, if desirable, for each individual product. The service will also provide reports on the performance of sales
personnel.
LARGEST SYSTEM OF PRIVATE TELEPHONES
AND COMPUTER LINKS ESTABLISHED
Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
Burbank, Calif.
To speed up company communications artd
save a quarter-million dollars a year, this
company on January 16 established the world's
largest private telephone system.
6B

Linking 65 Lockheed offices and facilities across the United States, the network
involves 100,000 miles of lines leased from
15 major U. S. telephone companies, and connects 21,727 telephones.
Besides serving as an improved instrument for management of the company's missile,
aircraft, electronics, shipbuilding, space,
and related activities, the system will increase the flexibility of electronic computers
for business and scientific work in the company's four main data processing centers.
The network is desigOned to transmit data
between high-speed electronic computer centers
at each of the company's major divisions during the light-traffic evening hours and early
morning hours.
Four automatic switching centers -- routing calls and handling traffic for the network -- will operate in Sunnyvale (headquarters
of Lockheed's Missiles and Space Division, near
San Francisco), Van Nuys (serving the Los
Angeles area), Marietta (headquarters of the
company's Georgia Division), and Plainfield
(in New Jersey, location of Lockheed Electronics Company's main office).
COMPUTER PAPERS AT THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS MEETING IN NEW YORK,
,JAN. 29-FEB. 3, 1961
C. A. R. Kagan
Vice Chairman, Computing Devices Committee
American Institute of Electrical Engineers
33 West 39 St.
New York 18, N.Y.
Thirty-seven computer papers were presented at the AlEE Winter General Meeting in
New York from January 30 to February'3, 1961.
The 7 sessions sponsored by the Computing Devices Committee were: Advances in Data Processing Systemsj Logic and Switching Circuit
TheorYj Shaft-Position Encoder Methodsj Tutorial Session on Computer Application to Design Evaluation and Simulationj Man-Machine
Aspects of Automatic Programming for Digital
Control Systemsj the Organization of LargeVolume Data-Processing Systems; Methods for
the Automatic Design of Electronic Equipment.
A total of over 100 sessions were scheduled,
many others also being of interest to computer
designers and users.
The AlEE makes preprints of all papers
available before the meeting~ A complete
program of all sessions and preprints can be
obtained from the Institute headquarters,
address above.
COMPUTERS and AUTOMA TION for March, 1961

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AUTOMATED MATERIAL CONTROL

gr;

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Tt:

Paul L. Russell
Application Engineer

General Electric Co.

(Based on a talk before the American Society for Testing Materials,
New England District, October 27, 1960, Boston, Mass.)

June
fe:

In some types of manufacturing, costs of handling
the material can be as much as 40% of total product
cost. These costs represent the real but as yet largely
untapped potential for automation of material handling. Here's a major opportunity to reduce costs and
achieve much greater efficiency, yet at the same time
improve quality and service to customers.
It is convenient to refer to this whole area as
automated material control, or AlVIC. Some people
may think of automatic warehousing, but it encompasses more than that. Warehousing may be only
a small part of AMC. \,yhat we are really talking
about are automated material handling systems;
whether they involve finished goods, in-process goods.
or raw materials; whether they occur in warehousing,
manufacturing, distribution, or related fields like airline baggage handling.
In the past few years there has been rapidly expanding interest in the application of automatic control to material handling. Simultaneously there has
been a trend to automate much of the paper work of
production and distribution. And, in wedding these
two, lie big opportunities.

Why Automate Material Handling?
In the next decade we in New England, will be
faced with critical pressures to increase the efficiency
of our operations and at the same time improve our
products and service. AlVIC is not only desirable, it
is essential, if American industry is to continue to
compete successfully; and the more complete we make
it, the more competitive shall we be.
Because both domestic and foreign competition
grows keener every day, our competitive position is
of increasing concern. \Ve worry about rising costs;
we maintain closer controls over quality; we make
maximum use of capital; we pay more careful attention to the availability and maximum titilization of
electric powered equipment versus human energy; we
continually strive to improve the speed and efficiency
of our production; and we all look for ways to serve
our customers better. In all these areas AMC can
help.
Some of the immediate benefits to be obtained from
automating material handling are:
Heduced Operating Cost-AlVIC systems can automatically control the handling and flow of your goods
or materials with little or no human intervention,
and with greater accuracy. Labor released from pure
manual handling of goods is made available for more
productive work. Daily output is paced by machine
10

speed rather
variation.

than

being

dependent

be
Kl

human

Heduced Inventory-With quicker, more efficient
handling and more accurate up-to-date inventory control, turnover of goods is faster, and investment in
inventory can be reduced for immediate savings and
this capital used elsewhere to further increase
profitability.
Better Inventory Control-By integrating material
handling control systems with accounting and inventory procedures, management can be provided with
up-to-the-minute information on all items in the
plant. From receiving to storage to shipment, you
have control of the material flow.
Improved Customer Service-Customer orders are
filled faster and more accurately. These faster shipments in turn allow customers to reduce their inventories with associated benefits repeated to them.
Shorter shipping time, plus flexibility in meeting
customer needs, results In more orders from more
satisfied customers.
More Efficient Use of Space-Elimination of
wasted aisle space and utilization of overhead areas
makes use of otherwise unproductive space. Further
savings result from the accompanying reduction in
maintenance and service costs on the reduced area
required.
Reduced Facilities Costs-Less stringent lighting,
heating and ventilating requirements may be possible.
Reduced Losses of Goods-Automated material
handling systems result in greater accuracy of records,
reduced damage, spoilage, and pilfering. Some of
the benefits of AlVIC cannot be assigned dollar values,
yet they are equally important to the success of the
business operation. Having current operational data
is valuable to management. Continuous and accurate
figures on production, inventory, orders and shipment
can take much of the guess work out of many business
decisions.

What Businesses Can Benefit Most from
Automated Material Control?
\Vhether your business is primarily concerned with
manufacturing, warehousing, or the distribution of
goods, material handling automation can benefit you.
Generally, a high volume of relatively few types of
items tends to favor AMC. The higher the volume
of goods handled, the grea tel' is the need for material
handling automation and the greater are the benefits
COMPUTERS alld .\UTOM:\TION for March, 1961

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to be realized. Any business may have many profitable
opportunities for material-handling automation, such
as receiving and handling incoming materials and
components; temporarily storing incoming items and
later dispatching them to manufacturing areas; inprocess handling or temporarily storing semi-finished
components or assemblies; dispatching finished goods
to stock; picking orders to fill customers' orders either
from the factory or from a distribution center or
warehouse. These are all opportunities for Automated lVIaterial Control system to lower costs and
give customers better service.

ICC,
tor

if. ;
sers
Iter

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In-

What Doe§ Automated Material Control Do?

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:uit

E.
na,

Our experience with Al\/IC systems indicates that
there are certain common denominators. These can
best be described in terms of five basic control functions as:
I-Identify
2-Dispatch
3-Store

econ,
)ers
St.,

4-Recall
5-Deliver

Identify-can be accomplished automatically or
manually; automatically by photoelectric devices
which can identify items by printed codes or by other
electrical sensing devices which can distinguish items
differing from each other in size, color, weight, chemical composition, or other physical characteristics.
Manual identification involves an operator who
visually recognizes different types, addresses, or whatever identity is provided. He then puts his information into the control system via a keyboard, or else
he marks the item or carrier with a code which will
be recognized by la ter portions of the system. 111formation from the identifying function can be used
to dispatch these items to pre-selected locations. These
may be areas for semi-permanent storage or short time
storage before further processing.

ICC,
Dr.
)ok

iCC,

Storage-represents a buffer between flow rates
into and out of the system. For goods in storage, AlVIC
systems can control flow into and out of storage in a
first-in, first-out or last-in, first-out sequence. They
can signal-- when maximum or minimum stock levels
are reached. They can maintain a continuous up-tothe-minute record of inventory.
,1

!)(il

Recall-this is concerned with retrieving items from
storage. The most frequent use of recall is in order
picking. In an automated order picking system, information on customers' orders may be fed into the
system in the form of punched cards or tapes and
the necessary quantities of each item are then released from automatically controlled storage racks.
Order picking is fast and accurate, and these punched
cards or tapes used to control the material handling
system may be the same, or generated at the same
time, as the ones used by the data processing portion
of the business. In addition to order-filling, automated recall systems can do such jobs as releasing
parts and components to assembly areas, delivering
baggage from temporary storage, or even releasing
automobiles from an automatic parking system.
Once an order has been collected, it can be automatically delivered to a selected packing station or
shipping dock ready for loading. Or in a manuCOMPUTERS and :\ UTO:\L\TIO:\f for :\[arch, 1961

facturing operation, items released from temporary
storage may be directed automatically to the desired
place.
Association of Functions
Any of the five basic control functions may be performed individually, or combinations of them may
be associated or integrated into a completely automated material control system. One of the best
exa.mples of ~ombining these functions is in a plant
whIch manufactures a product like ceramic tile. In
this process various bulk materials must be combined
in precise proportions. A lorry car is programmed to
run to a position below a bin containing a certain
material, where a device weighs out the required
amount into the car; then this operation is repeated
a number of times before carrying the materials to
a mixer. By inserting a new punched card into the
system, the formula is readily changed, and a different
type of ba tch concocted. In this process recall and
delivery of the raw materials has been automated.
Integration of Material Handling and
Data Processing Operations
The. 0ppOl:tunities to integrate material handling
operatIOns wIth paper work or data processing represent some of the most fertile and beneficial areas of
AlVTe.
. As material-handling operations are being perJormed, large amounts of useful data and information
respecting the volume and flow of these goods will
become available to you. This information, when
properly measured and recorded, can be fed into a
cia ta processing system to provide insight for improved customer service or for timely management
decisions. This same information can be feel directlv
into computers for automatic control of inventor~,
produ.ction and billing. With such an integrated sy~~
tern, lIsts can be automatically made of items ordered,
ite~s shipped, and shortages, if any.
Computing
eqUIpment can then calculate prices, total the bill,
add transportation charges, and calculate discounts,
sales credits, commissions, etc.
Some Examples
Here are some examples of installations where
ANIC is returning important cost savings.
At the South Station Postal Annex, in Boston, a
"iVIail-Flo" system helps process mail. After the mail
is sorted for first class only and placed properly for
stacking and cancelling, it is put into trays. These
trays are automatically directed to primary sorting
areas, then to secondary sorting areas. After this final
sorting operation, the mail is sent to tying and bundling stations for exit from the post office.
AC Spark Plug Division of General lVIotors has an
AlVIC system for handling dashboard assemblies.
Cartons received from production are manually identified by an operator at a keyboard, automatically dispatched to storage areas, and then automatically
recalled as needed.
Colgate-Palmolive Company uses an AMC system
for order-picking from warehouse stocks. Cartons containing various products are stored on three levels of
gravity-fed racks. Orders coded on punched cards af-e
read by a control console, causing gates at each lane
II

to open in the proper sequence and drop the required
number of cartons onto a take-away belt for delivery.
C&H Sugar Company uses an Automated lVIaterial
Control system for identifying and dispatching bags
of sugar to storage areas. When the pallet load is accumulated in one of the seven storage areas, no more
bags are permitted to enter until the load has been
released to its palletizer. Identification is accomplished
by an operator.
Armstrong Rubber Company has an AlVIC system
for transferring pallet loads of tires from production
to warehouse. The pallets are automatically directed
into elevators and are stored on the proper floors for
later recall to shipping docks.
GE Appliance Park, Louisville, Ky., has used for
four years an AMC system to dispatch "trains" of
appliances to appropriate storage areas as they come
[rom production. Here an operator manually identifies the trains as they pass near his keyboard; then
the dispatching job is turned over to the automatic
control system.
How to Start Your Own AMC Program
Before starting your own AMC program, you would
do well to stand back from your operations to make
sure you don't miss the forest for the trees. Verify
to ensure there aren't unnecessary handling steps in
your operation. While simplifying these operations,
strive for a functional concept of which materialhandling operations you desire to automate. One,
two or perhaps all five of the control functions of
"identify, dispatch, store, recall and deliver," should
lay the foundations for this automation concept. In
your thinking, consider the tie between the physical
material handling and the data processing functions.
Include in your plan future operations as well as
present.
After you have planned what you would like to do,

determine how much automatin~ eae'l of these furictions would be worth to you. How much is it wortb
to utilize your manpower more effectively in produc- .
tion? How much does a reduction in inventory mea Il ?
How much is improved customer service worth to
you? :Make sure that you consider not only present
cost but the costs which you are likely to face in the
future if you continue operating in the same manner.
Now, you may decide that the worth of some automated function is presently insignificant and thus
reject that one immediately. What may be worth a
good deal to one business may be of little value to
another. Therefore, only you can determine which
factors are important to your operation and how
much they are worth.
Now for the $64 question-"How much will it
cost?" AMC systems require well engineered and
properly selected equipment. Close cooperation is
required between the user, mechanical equipment
manufacturer, and electrical equipment manufacturer
to produce reliable, realistic cost estimates.
Having now formulated desirable functions for automation and obtained estimates, you now can compare the worth and cost of these functions to decide
which ones to automate. In planning for automation,
keep the over-all system picture in mind. Set up a
master plan for automating your material handling.
Decide what part of this master plan you can economically do now, and do it. Do not let what cannot be
done today deter you from doing what can be done
today. Fill in the gaps in your master plan as they
become economically and technically feasible. Perhaps
you will decide to automate your recall function for
order picking but decide to manually identify and
place items in stock. Then in designing your system,
provision should be made for future addition of
equipment to automate the identify and place functions without disturbing functions already automated.

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The Automatic Meteorological Observation
Station (AMOS) Computer
National Bureau of Standards
Washington, D. C.

The National Bureau of Standards in cooperation
with the U. S. Weather Bureau has developed the
fourth model of a specialized digital computer for
the Weather Bureau to use as a research tool in exploring the concept of the automatic weather station.
The AMOS IV computer receives data from weathersensing instruments and processes these data through
such functions as sampling, comparing, selecting a
maximum, and arithmetic operations. The results are
transmitted via teletype to a central forecasting station and to other airport weather stations. Values of
two quantities recently developed as aids to air safety
12

·-runway visual range and approach light contact
height-are given by the machine through automatic
table look-up.

._(
an~

Automatic Weather Stations
For a number of years, the Weather Bureau has
been appraising the possibilities of an automatic
weather station. Such stations could be widely distributed, and would be especially useful in relatively
inaccessible locations that are important sources of
early data on meteorological activity. The various
developmental prototypes of this concept have been
COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

pn
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AN INVITATION

TO DELEGATES ATTENDING THE IRE CONVENTION

IN NEW YORK CITY

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19,

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The tremendous expansion now in progress at Phil co has created a number
of immediate openings within our marketing organization.
This growth is the result of the widespread acceptance of the Philco 2000.
It offers experienced computer personnel with strong backgrounds unique
opportunities to build rewarding careers with the country's leading computer
manufacturer.
Openings are currently available in:

Sales

Field Engineering

Programming

Technical Writing

Customer Service

Educational Specialists

Systen1s Analysis
Successful candidates will be assigned to our headquarters staff or to one
of our strategically located branch offices throughout the United States.
There is opportunity for men with management potential and interest to
advance to supervisory responsibility. Proven marketing procedures and
policies assure permanency and superior earnings.
You are invited to investigate these opportunities and
also openings in our engineering departments in complete confidence while you are in New York City at the
convention. Contact Mr. John Felos, Professional Employment Manager at

PLaza 3-0806
or write to Phi1co, Computer Division, Willow Grove,
Pennsyl vania.
II':'

PHILeo
III' I, YCUIWlM lor Qaalllj; tJl~ lI/m& (!)ver

.....
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COMPUTERS alld

AlJTO~IATION

for March, 19GI

called AMOS (Automatic Meteorological Observation
Station); the current version, containing transistorized
packages, is AMOS IV. This model was designed and
built by Paul Meissner and]. A. Cunningham of the
NBS data processing systems laboratory and by C. A.
Kettering of the U. S. Weather Bureau. It is an outgrowth of previous work done by NBS for the 'tVeather
Bureau that resulted in a special computer for processing cloud-height signals from a ceilometer. The ceilometer was intended for use with the AMOS III.

operating at 1800 rpm that carries IOO general storage
channels of 100 words each and has space for 100 additional channels. Several dual-head channels are available for simultaneous read-in and read-out o[ incoming data, out-going messages, etc. The magnetic drum
provides the extensive storage capacity required [or
the table look-up involved in the calculations o[ runway visual range and approach light contact heigh t.
About 35 tables are stored on the drum; each table
has about 90 three-digit values.

Calculation Required
Several of the input quantities to the AMOS computers, such as cloud height and precipitation, cannot
be satisfactorily represented by instantaneous values
but must be time-averaged. Varying amounts of data
processing must therefore be associated with the different instruments measuring these quantities. In the
AMOS III concept, several complex units were req uired for these functions. Although many of the
functions were similar, the hardware was not minimized because of a diversity of design that resulted
from the isolated development of the individual units.
Analysis of the over-all system indicated that a considerable reduction could be made in hardware and
therefore in maintenance.
In AMOS IV, the automatic weather station is built
around a single small, general-purpose computer designed especially for this application. The computer
receives data from the input instruments at any desired interval. These data are suitably processed and
arranged in a specified order for teletype transmission
in a variety of message formats and at various speeds.
Tlie computer also operates local and remote displays.
Much latitude is available for research into the most
desirable form of data processing because of the
inherent flexibility of the internally programmed
machine.
Input Quantities
The computer continuously monitors new input
data while simultaneously processing data already entered and transmitting messages on command. Among
the input quantities which the AlVfOS IV computer
can handle are temperature, dew point, wind speed
and direction, atmospheric pressure, precipitation,
transmissivity, and cloud height. Input data can be
received directly from the instruments in the simplest
possible form, such as analog voltage, current, or resistance; and pulse rate or contact closure. Information may also be received in coded form, such as the
Gray binary code frequently used with shaft-position
encoders. The nature of the weather instruments and
of the quantities measured limits the input data to
2 or 3 decimal digits for the most part; word size is
therefore 3 digits plus sign. Double-precision methods
are available for those few instances requiring greater
accuracy. Communication with the machine is via
electric typewriter or punched tape.
The computer circuitry is based on transistorized
plug-in assemblies designed at the Bureau of Standards for a variety of data-processing applications.
These 50-kc packages perform flip-flop, analog switch,
and gating circuitry functions, as ·w~ll as others.

Runway Visual Range
One set o[ these tables contains the data on runway
visual range (R VR), i.e., the distance along the run,,,ay visible to a pilot from the point of touchdowngenerally 1000 to 6500 feet, depending upon runway
illumination (natural and artificial) and atmospheric
conditions. The primary input [or the RVR determination is a transmissometer reading. The computer continuously monitors this reading and "looks
up" the proper corresponding value of R VR, which
is then displayed locally and inserted into the teletype
message.
Height for Identifying Approach Lights
The other set of tables contains the data on approach light contact height (ALCH), i.e., the height
from which the pilot can identify the approach lights.
ALCH is affected by background illumination level,
atmospheric conditions, and the intensity of the approach lights, which are set in accordance with prevailing conditions. If limiting conditions are indica ted by either low clouds, as shown by the ceilometer,
or by fog or snow, as sensed by the transmissometer, a
value of ALCH based on the interfering factor is obtained. If both factors are present, two calculations
are made; the machine then determines and displays
the lower value. Since there is a statistical uncertainty
in this type of information, two values of altitude are
presented. The higher altitude is that at which the
pilot has a 20 per cent probability of seeing the approach lights; the lower altitude is that at which the
probability is 90 per cent.
References
I. A computer for weather data acqmSItlOll, by P.

lVleissner, J. Cunningham, and C. Kettering (to
be published Pl'oc. of EJCP, 1960).
')
Cloud-height data analyzer, NBS Tech. News Bull.
43, 180 (1959).
;). Packaged switching circuits, NBS Tech. News Bull.
43. 184 (1959).

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The Advantages of Numerically
Controlled Machine Tools
G. S. JoUis

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Flight Propulsion Division
General Electric Co.
Schenectady, N. Y.

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..~-"----

Numerical control is simply the application of
compatible numbers or values to control various
elements of a given process. Specified numerical
values are applied to con trol such functions as feeding, speeds, dimensions, pressures, temperatures, and
many others. In practice, the number or "infonnation," when placed on a convenient "storage
medium," becomes the command signal for the "control system," which, in turn, causes a specific function
to take place.
Whether the storage medium is punched paper tape
or magnetic tape or a punched card, makes little
difference to this evaluation. Equally unimportant
for purposes of this discussion, is the system used for
transmitting the information, electrical, electronic,
optical, sound, or mechanical. However, it is important to remember that we are deal in~ wit h sped fi(
command signals or a combillation of coordinated
and synchronized instructions to the process to be
controlled and that these signals are as accurately and
unmistakably defined as a number is defined. :\
number in itself, does not have an error.
As long ago as 1807, a punched card system was
devised by Joseph :Marie Jacquard to control textile
looms. lVlore recently, the familiar paper piano-roll
for player pianos performed essentially the same function. It produced music with great accuracy and repeatability; to change the tune look only as much time
as was required to change the "tape." However, a
serious study of the principles of numerical contro]
and their more sophisticated and complex application to machine tools did not get under way until
1949. The study was conducted by ~Iassachusetts Institute of Technology under sponsorship of the U. s.
Air Force.
Since then, the development of numerically COlltrolled equipment has made great strides, and helped
accomplish things which othenvise might not have
been possible.
Advantages
The first important feature of numerically controlled equipment is that the "input" is error-free and
has zero tolerance. Templates and cams can be replaced by numerical data. The unavoidable accumulation of tolerances in the making and setting-up of
templates is eliminated; in most cases, tedious and
wasteful trial runs are no longer necessary. With
numerical cOllt rol, t he first piece produced by a
CO'[PUTERS

1I11t! :\lJT(nL\TIO~

for

~Iarch.

1961

machine tool is usually correct. This greatly simplifies inspection methods; in fact, inspection itself can
be conducted with numerically controlled devices.
Secondly, in the majority of cases, elaborate jigs
and fixtures are no longer required. This not only
represents considerable dollar savings, but permits
rapid changeover from one set-up to another. In
addition, the storage space for jigs and fixtures, etc.,
can be used for other purposes.
A third and very important advantage is that conlrol set-up time, that is, the time required to schedule
control signals, is essentially reduced to zero. Over-all
machining time is therefore considerably decreased;
the machine can produce more parts in a given period
of time; the parts call be made in smaller quantities;
and invelltory call be kept at. a minimum. The reduced cycle of lIIa('hinill~ time, in particular, represellts olle of the ~reall'st dollar ,'a hies in numerical
COIlt.rol. However, the so-called "faster" machining
is due only to the reduction in control set-up time
and not to any other non-existent "miracles" during
the actual operation of removing' metal. Actual cutting speeds. and feeds are still limited by the cutting
tool itself and by the horsepower available. Numerical
control does not change these factors. It does, however, provide conditions for the best utilization of
tools. In the case of work-hardening materials, the
ability to control dwell time and in-feeds is of major
importance.

Modern vs. Old Machine-Tools
The advan tages discussed so far are all due to the
numerical control system itself. It is obvious, however, that the precision, the minute tolerances, and
repeatability of a well designed control system would
be of little use if applied to an out-of-date machine
tool. Every operator is familiar with backlash and
friction in machine tool slides. Depending on his skill,
he can compensate for these conditions. Numerical
control cannot do this. In addition, the combination
of spring effect and slide inertia results in a resonance
condition which, if not carefully considered in the design, may create inadequate performance. If we add to
tha t, other factors such as resilience in screws, bearings, shafts, etc., we recognize that the machine tool
itself must he designed for numerical control to utilize
the capability of the control system. The over-all
results will naturally depend on the weakest link ill
t he chain.

Realizing these requirements, the machine tool
builder now employs devices which, until now, were
used in the precision instrument field. Backlash, although practically impossible to eliminate completely,
is reduced to a minimum to enable the control and
measuring system to effect minute adjustments in
both positive and negative directions. Ball bearing
lead screws and other anti-friction devices are essential
to minimize the problem of sticktion, especially during fine adjustments. Oscillations, which a stick-slip
condition can cause, would greatly limit the performance of the control system. The same applies to
resonance, particularly in the low frequency range.
l\/Iore rugged machine construction provides the
answer to these problems.

Example of Economic Advantages
No true evaluation can be made of the advantages
of numerically controlled machine tools without some
mention of the basic functions and principles involved.
This following example illustrates the first economic
advantage of these machine tools which is the precision and speed of control signals.
The production schedule for a magnesium gear
box for a jet engine called for the purchase of an
additional jig borer. A numerically controlled
machine was obtained for $55,000 which took the
place of two conventional pieces of equipment of
$90,000 total value. The resulting equipment cost
saving was $35,000. Savings in operation amoun ted
to:
1. Drilling dowel pin holes:
(a) Old time-loG7 hours per part
(b) New time- .20 hours per part
(c) Saving of 88 j~;,
2. Rough boring and drilling of flange holes:
(a) Old time-2.5 hours per part

(b) New time-l.O hour per part
(c) Saving of 60 %
3. Line boring, complete:
(a) Old time-16 hours per part
(b) New time- 4 hours per part
(c) Saving of 75%
In addition, costs of drilling and holding fixtures
were reduced by over 50 %. Reduction of reworki llg
and scrap amounted to 95 %. A closer study would
reveal further savings due to simplified methods of
engineering changes and to small-lot production possibilities. A changeover from one configuration to another usually involves no more than changing a tape.
Obviously, improved machine tool construction alsD
plays an important part in obtaining such results as
this.
However, rather than look upon this second facto~'
as a necessary evil, without which the controls could
not perform to the best of their ability, we now lind
that it comes into its own right.

(j~;)

Machining of High Temperature Alloys
\Ve turn now from machining of conventional
materials and aircraft industry alloys to the considerably greater problems involved in handling the high
temperature alloys of the jet engine and space vehicle
manufacturer. The higher cutting forces enc()untered
in this application demand the maximum in rigidity.
Reduced vibration increases tool life and improves
finishes.
Further, the precise control of in-feeds and dwell
time reduces work hardening, which, again, amounts
to added tool life. Thus, by keeping feeds and speeds
within critical limits and away from operator control,
we can maintain optimum conditions and achieve
maximum results 'with respect to tool performance.
Numerical control, therefore, not only helps to re-

Table I
ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES OF NUMERICAL CONTROL APPLICATIONS Case Histor),
Number

OJ,cratioll

F-II!}

X-V Positioning; boring
and drilling.

B-2'1;{

iWachille Tool
Cost Savings

Fixture
Savings

Replaces two
conven tional
machines.

90%

Inspection time
reduced 80%.
Tool life increased 25%.

Rotary Indexing (Numerical
Control): cycle controlled
center drilling, drilling,
("ounterboring. and reaming.

75C;;~

97%

Replaces one jig
borer and one
radial drill.

9<1%

Small lot production;
low inventory.

Rotary Positioning; horizontal boring mill, multiple
drilling operations.

74%

95%

Replaces 3
standard
machines.

$12,000
per year.

;{O<:;,

95%

None
(additional)

89%

GL-388 Rotary Positioning (Numerical Control); cycle controlled
drilling, boring, spot facing.
back counterbore, rough,
and finish.

x-v

Positioning; automatic
tool selection, drilling, rough
boring.

loom~

Other Sm,illgs

95%

BD-;{H~

B-Ol

Scrap
Savillgs

60%-90%

Time
Savings

FIVE INSTANCES

rnspection time
redu.ced 85%.
Tool life increased 28%.
I nspection time
reduced 75(/c).

Nm
comp,
eleme
value5
mg, s:
many
tion,"
medit
lrol s~
to tal
Wh
or m
diffen
for pl
tranSI
optic::
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and 1
contn
unml
Huml
As
devise

for p:
tion.
abilit
as We
serim
and
tion
1949.
stitut
Air]
Sir
troU(
accor
been
Tl
t roIl(

HO%

NoneOperation
previously
used high
accuracy
fixtures.

Replaces 3
standard
machines.

Inspection time
redu,ced 85%.
Tool life in("reas~d 100%.

has;

plan
latio
tcmr
wast~

IlIllll

CO~fPUTF.RS

alld A llT(nf.\TIO:\' for :\[arch. 19(;1

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duce manufacturing costs, as shown above, but alst.>
contributes considerably to the reduction in machinability problems and tool cost.
Table I reports some actual savings realized through
the application of numerically controlled equipment.
The cases apply to the manufacture of jet engine
parts; details of part descriptions and materials are
not essential and are omitted. Although the list is
hy no means complete, yet it is typical.

,orage
addiavailI1comdrum
d for
E runeight.
table

Summary
In slllllmarizing the cost savings possible through
numerically controlled machines, we arrive at the
following conclusions:

111 way

run'wnnway
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ap-

Dr. Jan Paul
Bakersfield, Calif.

>)' P.
)

(to

Bull.
Bull.

I!Hil

more economical.
1.3 Fixture and template cost, partly, and at
times, completely eliminated.
1.4 Cost of fixture storage, maintenance, and
set-up time reduced.
2. Improved Tool Life:
2.1 Greater machine rigidity and controlled
dwell times, feeds, and speeds result In
longer tool life.
2.2 Tolerances and finishes are improved.
3. Better Equipment Utilization:
Zero data input times results in faster production, more parts per life of equipment, and a
smaller number of machines for equal production.
4. Scrap Reduction:
Precision of input data and repeatability reduces
scrap and rework.

Computer Monitoring of Reactor
Radioactivity Levels

eight
ights.
level,
e appreindileter,
tel', a
is obtions
plays
ainty
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1 the
e ap1 the

1. Small lot production:
1.1 Quick tape change permits small lot production. This reduces inventory, parts storage, records, and repeat handling.

].2 Job shop operation and "specials" become

Computers are applied ill a nUlllber of ways ill
nuclear engineering. Some of the more illlportanl arc
data logging, alarm scanning, on-line computation,
sequencing data, reduction, automatic control, and
reactor monitoring. All are important, but perhaps
the most important single application is in reactor
monitoring, for in such an application it is possible
for the computer to monitor radioactivity in the
reactor through a hook-up with the cooling and
heat-transfer systems.
Perhaps one of the most interesting illustrations of
computer monitoring is at the power plant of Electricite de France near Chinon, France. The system
used there, while primarily for monitoring, actually
combines a number of important uses. The system
consists of two Ramo 'Vooldridge RvV-300 computers,
seven automatic typewriters, a paper tape punch and
reader, radiation detectors, binary counters, sequencmg and timing equipment, and input-output equipment for the computers.
The basic principle behind the system is quite simple: any kind of break or fault will cause an increase
in the level of radioactivity ill the reactor cooling
systel1l. This increase must be detected before it can
become harmful to personnel or equipment. The
radiatioll detectors in the system are placed in the
cooling channels and connected to the binary counters, which. i11 turn, are scanned continuously by the
computers. The computers use the data thus obtained In calculate a radioactivity level for each channel and cOlllparc il agaillSt a predetermined limit. If
the calculated level thus ohtained exceeds the limit,
COMPUTERS

(/I/d

,\ (JTO~f.\TIO~

for \larch, 1961

alarlll a11d warllillg dcvices automatically go into
action.
The cOlllputers arc operatcd in parallel to assure
uninterruptcd protection. Both machines therefore
receive a11 input data, and make all calculations;
however, only one operates the automatic typewriters,
and alarm devices. They are interlocked, however,
so that should either computer stop, break down, or
make an error, the remaining computer takes over
all output devices. Each computer checks itself once
a minute.
Of the seven typewriters in the system, five print
computed radioactivity values. One does nothing bUI
indicate equipment failure, while the remaining machine records reference values.
This particular reactor installation has 1,148 cooling
system channles, which, for the purpose of scanning,
are divided into 287 groups of four. Twelve channels
are scanned per minute, so that a total scanning cycle
takes 24 minutes. In the event of an above normal
reading, all four channels in the group are switched
to a "fine" scanning system through which the COlllputers can calculate a normalized level for each separate channel. If the radioactivity in any of these
channels exceeds normal, warning devices go in to
action.
.~\ careful evaluation of this, and similar computer
monitoring systems, indicates that these systems make
possible the continuous calculating of radioactivity
levels over an extensive channeling system with a
maximum reliability factor and a minimum of alarm
error.
I!)

Make over 200 Small Computing

and 'Reasoning Machines with ...

BRAINIAC

ELECTRIC BRAIN CONSTRUCTION

KIT

WHAT COMES WITH YOUR BRAINIAC® KIT? All 33 experiments from our original kit (1955), with
exact wiring templates for each one. All 13 experiments from the former Tyniac kit. 156 entirely new experiments with their solutions. Over 600 parts, as follows: 6 Multiple Switch Discs; Mounting Panel; 10 Flashlight
Bulbs; 2 Multiple Socket Parts, each holding 5 bulbs; 116 Wipers, for making good electrical contact (novel design,
patented, no. 2848568) ; 70 Jumpers, for transfer contacts; 50 feet of Insulated Wire; Flashlight Battery; Battery
Box; nuts, bolts, sponge rubber washers, hard washers, screwdriver~ spintite blade, etc. ALSO: 256 page book,
"Brainiacs" by Edmund C. Berkeley, including chapters on: an introduction to Boolean Algebra for designing
circuits; "How to go from Brainiacs and Geniacs® to Automatic Computers"; complete descriptions of 201 experiments and machines; over 160 circuit diagrams; list of references to computer literature.
This kit is an up-to-the-minute introduction to the design of arithmetical, logical, reasoning, computing,
puzzle-solving, and game-playing circuits-for boys, students, schools, colleges, designers. It is simple enough
for intelligent boys to assemble, and yet it is instructive even to engineers because it shows how many kinds of
computing and reasoning circuits can be made from simple components. This kit is the outcome of 11 years of
design and development work with smalJ electric brains and small robots by Berkeley Enterprises, Inc. With this
kit and manual you can easily make over 200 small electric brain machines that display intelligent behavior and
teach understanding first-hand. Each one runs on one flashlight battery; all connections with nuts and bolts; no
soldering required. (Returnable for full refund if not satisfactory.) ... Price $18.95.
WHAT CAN YOU MAKE WITH A BRAINIAC KIT?
LOGIC MACHINES
Syllogism Prover
J ames McCarty's Logic Machine
AND, OR, NOT, OR ELSE, IF . • . THEN, IF AND
ONLY IF, NEITHER •.. NOR Machines
A Simple Kalin-Burkhart Logical Truth Calculator
The Magazine Editor's Argument
The Rule About Semicolons and Commas
The Farnsworth Car Pool
GAME-PLAYING MACHINES
Tit-Tat-Toe
Black Match
Nim
Sundorra 21
Frank McChesney's Wheeled Bandit
COMPUTERS - to add, subtract, multiply, divide, . . . ,
using decimal or binary numbers.
- to convert from decimal to other scales of notation
and vice versa, etc.
Operating with Infinity
Adding Indefinite Quantities
Factoring Any Number from 45 to 60
Prime Number Indicator for Numbers 1 to 100
Thirty Days Hath September
Three Day Weekend for Christmas
Calendar Good for Forty Years 1950 to 1989
Money Changing Machine
Four by Four Magic Square
Character of Roots of a Quadratic
Ten Basic Formulas of Integration

The Submarine Rescue Chamber Squalux
The Three Monkeys who Spurned Evil
Signals on the Mango Blossom Special
The Automatic Elevator in Hoboken
Timothy's Mink Traps
Josephine's Man Trap
Douglas Macdonald's Will
Word Puzzle with TRICK
QUIZ MACHINES
The Waxing and the Waning Moon
Intelligence Test
Guessing Helen's Age
Geography Quiz
Mr. Hardstone's Grammar Test
Solving Right Triangles
SIGN ALING MACHINES
The Jiminy Soap Advertising Sign
The Sign that Spells Alice
Torn, Dick, and Harry's Private Signaling Channels
Jim's and Ed's Intercom
CRYPTOGRAPHIC MACHINES
Secret Coder
Secret Decoder
Lock with 65,000 Combinations
Lock with 15,000,000 Combinations
The General Combination Lock
Leonard's Two-Way Coding Machine

. . . AND MANY MORE
MAIL THIS REQUEST or a copy of it 111111111111 .. "
Berkeley Enterprises, Inc.
815 W,ash.ington Stree,t, R122, New.tonville 60, Mass.

~III"II"IIIII

PUZZLE-SOLVING MACHINES
The Missionaries and the Cannibals
The Daisy Petal Machine
Calvin's Eenie Meenie Minie Moe Machine
The Cider Pouring Problem
The Mysterious Multiples of 76923, of 369, etc.
Bruce Campbell's Will
The Fox, Hen, Corn, and Hired Man
The Uranium Shipment and the Space Pirates
General Alarm at the Fortress of Dreadeerie
The Two Suspicious Husbands at Great North Bay

Please send me BRAINIAC KIT 1{18,including manual,
instructions, over 600 parts, templates, circuit diagrams,
etc.
I enclose $18.95 for the kit plus. ....
for handling and
shipping (30c, east of Mississippi; 80c, w.est of Mississippi; $1.80, outside U.8".). I understand the kit is returnable in seven days for full refund if not satisfactory (if
in good condition).
My name and address are attached.

;;;;;;;__;;;;;;;__;;;;;;;__;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;__;;;;;;;;;;;;____;;;;;;____;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;______;;;;;;_ _ '1'111111111111111111111111111 •••••••••••••••••••• 1.1 ••••••• 1 ••••••••••••••••••• ::

COMPUTERS and

AUTO~IATION

for

~rarch,

1961

CO\I

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th to,

Readers' and Editor's Forum

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FRONT COVER: TELE'PHONE TERMINAL
TO OUTER SPACE

.,
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'f

The front cover shows Bell Telephone Laboratories'
"telephone terminal to outer space" at Crawford Hill,
Holmdel, N.J. In the foreground is a horn-reflector
antenna developed by the company as part of its system
for receiving communications from satellites. The
transmitter, a 60-foot dish, is shown in the rear. The
antenna is aimed at a satellite in accordance with
predicted orbit information provided by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
This equipment is part of a project to put the
first station of a satellite relay system into space before
the end of 1961.
The station would provide for the experimental
transmission of telephone calls, television, data transmission, and other types of communication between
the United States, the United Kingdom and continental Europe.
The company is in process of contracting for the
launching of the necessary satellites orbiting at about
2,200 miles and solar-powered.
The proposed spherical satellites would be four
feet in diameter and weigh about 175 pounds. About
60 per cen t of the surface would be covered by glasscoated solar batteries. A metal skin and two slotted
antennae would comprise the rest of the surface.
The initial system is expected to be able to transmit
for a period up to about 35 minutes some three or
four times a day-coordinated with the satellite passes
over the earth station areas. The satellites would act
as microwave towers in the sky, performing the same
boosting and transmitting functions as the microwave
towers of radio relay systems on the ground.
The project would be financed and the facilities
operated by American Telephone and Telegraph, in
coordination with telephone administrations abroad.
This is similar to the practice for many years in
handling overseas communications by cable and radio.
In the development of this project, the company
expects to work closely with the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.

OPTIMIZATION OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS
-MORE DISCUSSION
Raymond Overell
mtact
matic

has
matic
y distively
Ll

:cs

lriolls
beeJl
I,

I!)(il

Riverside, Calif.

Regarding the "optimization of business operations
,-discllssion" in the January, 1961, issue of Computers
and Automation, optimum can be construed to mean
practically any degree of operation efficiency,-given
in any organization the management calibre, amount
of flexibility in management planning, and the
amouJlt of competition.
For anyone managelllen t to accept an "optimum"
solutiol1, that solution lllllst COliform to the prejudices
and expericllcc of that lIIallagclllelH, as well as to its
capabil it ies. There arc also the factors of manageCO~IPUTERS

(/1/(/

UTO~L\TION

for March, 1961

ment's judgment and hopes. Usually an "optimum"
solution is not "optimum" unless it takes these into
consideration, insofar as that management is concerned. Should the right weights be given these
management considerations in arriving at the "optimum" solution, this management will be willing to
use the mathematical solution, but in terms of the
rnanageluent "art."
As an organization progresses in time, the problem
of "optimization of business operations" is indeed a
"never-ending" one. This can be overcome only by
flexibility in planning, and the realization that constant problem review and re-solution are necessary.

THE SIEMENS 2002
Majer-Trendel
Siemens and Halske A.G.
Munchen, Germany

In Computers and Automation, Vol. 9, No.3, 1960,
we find a brief outline of our data processing system
Siemens 2002. Since some essential characteristics
have changed since the information was gathered.
we send you a revision of the description:
The Siemens 2002 is a transistorized, magnetic-core, dataprocessing system for scientific and administrative applications
manufactured in series by Siemens & Halske AG (Hofmannstr.
51, Mtinchen 25). Six machines have been installed and 13 are
on order (June, 1960). Logic circuits on plug-in boards, magnetic
drums, and magnetic core store units may be purchased as
separate units.

Siemens & Halske AG, Siemens 2002
Operation mode: serial parallel. Number base: binary decimal
(excess-three code). Word lengths: 12 decimals plus sign or 6
alphanumeric characters. Point working-fixed and floating.
Floating-point representation: 10 digit mantissa
2 digit exponent. Instructions: I-address type (1 word). Number of operations: 87. Number of registers: 12 (3 index registers). Simultaneous operation between arithmetic and control units.
Store: magnetic cores. Capacity: units of 1,000, 5,000 and
10,000 words (maximum capacity: 100,000 words). Cycle time:
14 microsec. Access time: 5 microsec. Backing store: magnetic
drum. Capacity: 10,000 words. Speed: 3,000 rpm. Average access
time: 19
n. 0.09 ms. (transfer to and from main store in
blocks of variable length. Up to 50 magnetic tape units may be
connected (IBM 727 or 729 or AMPEX FR 300). They are connected with the computer by a magnetic tape control unit with
magnetic core buffer store. This permits simultaneous operation
of several tape units, while computing proceeds. Besides, highcapacity magnetic drum stores (LFE) can be connected.
Input: punched tape (200 or 400 char. per sec.). Output:
punched tape (60 char. per sec.) and electric typewriter (10
char. per sec.) 80-column punched card equipment (IBM 077,
088, 514 and 544) line printers (IBM 407 and 421) and a cathode
ray tube curve plotter inclusive of a photographic recorder may
be connected. The possibility of connecting high-speed printers
(ANelex and Siemens) is under development. Magnetic core
buffers permit input (output) while computing.
Fixed-point operation speeds: 0.09 ms for addition and subtraction, 1.260 ms for multiplication and 3.510 ms for division.
Floating point operation speeds: OA!JO ms for addition and subtraction, 1.350 ms for multiplication and 3.240 ms for division.
Access time to the quick access store is included. Average number of operations: 3000/ sec.
Power consumption (basic machine): less than 4 kw. Room
accommodation required: about 500 sq. ft. Technical data:
200 kc/s prf, vacuum tubes for power requirements (25), gennanium diodes (ca. 30,000), transistor (ca. 15,000), printed circuits
on plug-in boards and magnetic cores. Price (basic machine)
$240,000.

to be
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as re
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CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS
Mar. 16-17, 1961: Conference on Data Processing Techniques and Systems, sponsored by Numerical Analysis
Laboratory at the University of Ariz., featuring «Discussions of data processing problems in engineering and
scientific research," Tucson, Ariz.; contact Mis~ Betty
Takvam, Conference Secretary, Numerical Analysis Lab.,
Univ. of Ariz., Tucson, Ariz.
Mar. 20-23, 1961: IRE International Convention, Coliseum and Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, N. Y.:
contact Dr. G. K. Neal, IRE, 1 E. 79 St., New York
21, N. Y.
Mar. 25, 1961: 5th Annual Symposium on Recent Advances in Programming Methods, Ohio State University,
Columbus, Ohio; contact R. K. Kissinger, Publicity
Chairman, c/o Nationwide Insurance Co., 246 N. High
St., Columbus, Ohio.

April, 1961: Joint Automatic Techniques Conten:llce,
Cincinnati, Ohio; contact J. E. Eiselein, RCA Victor
Div., Bldg. 10-7, Camden 2, N. ;.
Apr. 13-14, 1961: UNIVAC Users Association Spring
Conference, Statler-Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif.;
contact Donald Houghton, Secretary, UNIVAC Users
Assoc., Westinghouse Electric Corp., 3 Gateway Center
15-West, Pittsburgh 22, Pa.
Apr. 19-21, 1961: S. W. IRE Reg. Conf. and Elec.
Show, Dallas, Tex.; contact R. W. Olson, Texas Instruments Co., 6000 Lemmon Ave., Dallas 9, Tex.
May 2-4, 1961: Electronic Components Conference, Jack
Tar Hotel, San Francisco, Calif.
May 7-8, 1961: 5th Midwest Symposium on Circuit
Theory, Univ. of Ill., Urbana, Ill.; contact Prof. M. E.
Van Valkenburg, Dept. EE, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana,
Ill.
May 8-10, 1961: 13th Annual National Aerospace Electronics Conference, Biltmore and Miami Hotels, Dayton,
Ohio; contact Ronald G. Stimmel, Chairman, Papers
Committee, Institute of Radio Engineers, 1 East 79 St.,
New York 21, N. Y.
May 9-11, 1961: Western Joint Computer Conference,
Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif.; contact Dr.
W. F. Bauer, Ramo-Wooldridge Co., 8433 Fallbrook
Ave., Canoga Park, Calif.
May 22-24, 1961: 10th National Telemetering Conference,
Sheraton-Towers Hotel, Chicago, Ill.

Mar. 27-29, 1961: Conference on Character Recognition,
Data Transmission, and Document Handling, Northampton College of Advanced Technology, St. John St.,
London, E. C. 1, England; contact Head of the Mathematics Dept., Northampton College of Advanced Technology, London, E. C. 1, England.
Mar. 27-30, 1961: POOL (LGP-30 and RPC-4000 Users
Organization) Fourth Annual National Meeting, Jung
Hotel, New Orleans, La.; contact H. M. Semarne,
POOL Organization, 5834 Oso Ave., Woodland Hills,
Calif.

Presents opportunities
for personnel qualified for
the following openings

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ADDING MACHItlES • CASH REGISTERS
ACCOUNTING MACHINES
HCR PAPER (No CARBON REQUIRED)

auloll

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COMPUTERS alld

Ide
manu
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electr
differ
cal c
Manu
visual
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to dis
may 1
8to

At least two years of programming
experience plus B.S. or M.S. in Business Administration or Mathematics will qualify for challenging work
with EDP sales organization. Opportunities are varied
and include: Programming, Manual Writing, Systems
Analysis, Programming Research, Programming
Instructor.
CUSTOMER SITE REPRESENTATIVE: Locations
will vary. Qualifications require broad experience in
programming, operation and systems analysis. Must
have worked with tape systems and be familiar wit!l
computer-user problems. Training given at Dayto!1
prior to installation assignment.

For these and other professional level opportunities in challenging
areas of work, write to: T. F. Wade, Technical Placement G2-1, The
National Cash Register Company, Main & K Streets, Dayton 9, Ohio.

23-

into ,1
systcn
firs t -il
can s;
arc n
thc-m

SALES SUPPORT:

The NATIONAL line of EDP systems including the
304, 315 and 310 provides the basis for interesting
and effective work in any operation wherever money
or merchandise is handled. Stability and growing
responsibility are characteristic of the climate at
NATIONAL whether your work is in one of our
Data Processing Centers or with our Data Processing Systems and· Sales group in support operations.
General qualifications for present openings are a
college degree and experience with a tape system
applied to business or financial functions.

.'1

Ou
there
best 1
tions

stora~

ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING
PROGRAMMERS

for March, I9(il

Oil

lIIalic
shipp

May 22-24, 1961: Fifth National Symposium on Global
Communications (GLOBECOM V), Hotel Sherman,
Chicago, Ill.; contact Donald C. Campbell, Tech. Program Comm., I.T.T.-Kellogg, 5959 S. Harlem Ave.,
Chicago 38, 111. ,
May 23-25, 1961: Symposium on Large Capacity Memory
Techniques for Computing Systems, Dept. of Interior
Auditorium, C St., Washington, D. C.; contact Miss
Josephine Leno, Code 430A, Office of Naval Research,
Washington 25, D. C.

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cant in
and
'ease

erial
ven-

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you

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1%1

MATHEMATICIANS ~

At MITRE, mathematics provides solutions
to a variety of complex problems in the
development of computer-based electronic
systems for command and control of aerospace forces, weapons and vehicles.

~
~

June 28-30, 1961: Joint Automatic Control Conference,
Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.; contact Dr. Robert
Kramer, Elec. Sys. Lab., M.I.T., Cambridge 39, Mass.

June 28-30, 1961: 1961 National Conference and Exhibit,
National Machine Accoun tan ts Association, Royal York
Hotel, Toronto, Canada; contact R. C. Elliott, NMAA,
1750 W. Central Rd., Mt. Prospect, Ill.

July 9-14, 1961: 4th International Conference on BioMedical Electronics & 14th Conference on Elec. Tech.
in Med. & Bio., Waldorf Hotel, New York, N. Y.;
contact Herman Schwan, Univ. of Pa., School of EE,
Philadelphia, Pa.

{l//(/

lJT()~L\TIO;\l

for

~Iarch,

1961

~
~

COMPUTERS

~
~

June 6-8,1961: ISA Summer Instrument-Automation Conference & Exhibit, Royal York Hotel and Queen Elizabeth Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Can.; contact William H.
Kushnick, Exec. Dir., ISA, 313 6th Ave., Pittsburgh 22,
Pa.

July 16-21, 1961: 4th International Conf. on Medical
Electronics & 14th Conf. on Elec. Tech. in Med. & Bio.,
Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, N. Y.; contact Dr.
Herman P. Schwan, Univ. of Pa., Moore School of
Electrical Eng., Philadelphia 4, Pa.
July 21-22, 1961: 1961 Northwest Computing Association
Annual Conference, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Can.; contact Conference Information, Northwest Computing Assoc., Box 836,
Seahurst, Wash.
Aug. 22-25,1961: WESCON, San Francisco, Calif.; contact Business Mgr., WESCON, 1435 La Cienega Blvd.,
Los Angeles, Calif.
Sept., 1961: Symposium on Information Theory, M.I.T.,
Cambridge, Mass.
Sept. 4-9, 1961: Third International Conference on Analog
Computation, organized by the International Association
for Analog Computation and the Yugoslav National
Committee for Electronics, Telecommunications, Automation and Nuclear Engineering, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Sept. 6-8, 1961: National Symposium on Space Elec. &
Telemetry, Albuquerque, N. M.; contact Dr. B. L.
Basore, 2405 Parsifal, N.E., Albuquerque, N. M.
Sept. 6-8, 1961: International Symposium on the Transmission and Processing of Information, Mass. Inst. of
Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; contact Peter Elias,
RLE, M.LT., Cambridge 39, Mass.
Sept. 6-8, 1961: 1961 Annual Meeting of the Association
for Computing Machinery, Statler Hotel, Los Angeles,
Calif.; contact Benjamin Handy, Chairman, Local Arrangements Committee, Litton Industries, Inc., 11728
W. Olympic Blvd., W. Los Angeles, Calif.
Sept. 11-1 5, 1961: The Third International Congress on
Cybernetics, Namur, Belgium; contact Secretariat of
The Tnternational Association for Cybernetics, 13, rue
Basse Marcelle, Namur, Belgium.

..,

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"
~

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~~
~~

~
~
~

~
~

~
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Mathematicians with broad interests in
analytical methods and techniques, and an
appreciation of the complexities of system
work find professional satisfaction in conducting studies which will lead to new and
unique systems. MITRE offers a unique
environment in which to apply professional
abilities in such diverse areas as:

~
~
~

Operations Research
Psychometrics
Monte Carlo Methods
Real Time Simulations
Information Theory
Numerical Analysis
Econometrics
Game Theory
Probability Studies

~
~

Senior members of :Jll1:JRE's
J'ecimica/ Staff will be
avail(JlJ/e for discussion
at the 'Jlead(llwrters 'J-lotel
duri1/{j tbe 1RE Convention.

~
~

~
~
~

~
~
~
~

~
~

~
~
~
~
~

111qlliries may be directed
in confidence to:

~
~

VICE PRESIDENT -

~
~

TECHNICAL OPERATIONS

THE

MITRE

~
~

Post Office Box 208, 5-MQ
Bedford, Massachusetts

~
~

~, l

~
~,\,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"

NEW

SURVEY OF RECENT ARTICLES
Moses M. Berlin
Cambridge, Mass.

BOOKS
ADAPTIVE
CONTROL
PROCESSES
A Guided Tour
by Richard Bellman. A panoramic
view of what an ingenious mathematician does when faced with
the myriad problems of automatic
control. The author has minimized detailed rigor in the interest of making clear the basic ideas
in a broad spectrum of applications. He shows how to get solutions to engineering problems
which cannot be solved by conventional methods and provides ways
to reformulate problems so they
are amenable to machine computation. A RAND Corporation Re-

search Study.

$6.50

DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING
by

Richard Bellman.

1957.

$6.75

STABILITY IN
NONLINEAR
CONTROL
SYSTEMS
by A. M. Letov. Translated by J.
George Adashko. An outstanding
Russian contribution to an increasingly important field. The
author, a Nobel prizewinner, is
held in highest esteem by U.S.
control experts. He has added to
the American translation of this
work several additional chapters
not included in the original.
"A plain, unsophisticated, painstakingly thorough treatise on application of Lyapunov's direct
method."-DR. J. P. LASALLE, Math-

ematical Reviews

$8.50

We publish here a survey of articles related to computers and data
processors, and their applications
and implications, occurring in certain magazines.
The purpose of this type of reference information is to help anybody interested in computers find
articles of particular relation to
this field in these magazines.
For each article, we publish: the
title of the article / the name of
the author (s) / the magazine and
issue where it appears / the publi~her's name and address / two
or three sentences telling what the
anicle is about.
Multiprogramming STRETCH: Feasibility Considerations / E. F. Codd, E. S.
Lowry, E. McDonough, and C. A. Scalzi,
I.B.M. / Communications of the Assn.
for Computing Machinery, vol. 2, no.
11, Nov., 1959, p 13 I A. C. M., Mt.
Royal and Guilford Aves., Baltimore 2,
Md.
This article discusses certain machine
design techniques which allow for successful concurrent execution of several independent problems. In particular, design
techniques applied to the STRETCH
computer system are described, which
place the burden of the programmed
logic on the system program-control and
supervisory program-rather than on particular problem programs.
RUNCIBLE-Algebraic Translation on a
Limited Computer / D. E. Knuth, Case
Institute of Technology / Communications of the Assn. for Computing
Machinery, vol.. 2, no. 11, Nov., 1959,
p 18 / A. C. M., Mt. Royal and Guilford
Aves., Baltimore 2, Md.
The RUNCIBLE I compiler system, developed at Case Institute of Technology
for a standard I. B. M. 650 computer, is
discussed. Its main features are listed and
a logical diagram of ,the system accompanies the article.
Russian Visit to U. S. Computers / E. M.
Zaitzeff and M. M. Astrahan / Communications of the Assn. for Computing Machinery, vol. 2, no. 11, Nov., 1959,
p 4, / A. C. M., Mt. Royal and .Guilford
Aves., Baltimore 2, Md.
The negotiations which preceded an exchange of visits by U. S. and U. S. S. R.
computer experts are explained, followed
by a report on the visit by the Russians.
The repor,t covers visits to various computer centers, including M. I. T. Computation Center, I. B. M., and data processing
centers in Washington, D. C., and Philadelphia. Some general comments follow
the report.
The Multilingual Terminology Project /
Dr. J. E. Holmstrom / Bulletin of the
Provisional International Computation
Centre, no. 8, Jan., 1960, pp 11-6 /
Provisional Internat'l. Compo Centre,
Polazzo degli Uffici, Zona dell' E. U.
R., Rome, Italy.

This article discusses procedures for establishing standard nomenclature and
lerminology in the computer field. These
procedures are being formulated by the
Internat'I. Compo Centre with the help of
such organizations as the Assn. for Computing Machinery, in the U. S. The important task of standardization, it is
pointed out, requires the cooperation of
scientists who assign names to new concepts and "brain-childs," without considering etymology or without consulting
established terminology.
Optical Scanning Equipment / John H.
Dejong / Data Processing, vol. 3, no.
1, Jan., 1961, p 11 / Gille Associates,
Inc., 22nd Floor Book Tower, Detroit
26, Mich.
Some applications of optical scanning
equipment are described, followed by a
discussion of past, present and future
equipment and applications. The author
foresees significant improvements in optical scanners, with eventual replacement
of the key punch by the use of modern
techniques.
Optical Character Recognition / Weld
S. Carter, Jr. / Data Processing, vol.
3, no. 1, Jan., 1961, p 7 / Gille Associates, Inc., 22nd Floor Book Tower,
Detroit 26, Mich.
The possibility and feasibility of reading documents directly into a computer
system by scanning methods is discussed.
The special design features of any computer with such a facility are described;
advantages of a direct system are discussed
relative to current techniques.
Minimization over Boolean Trees / J.
Paul Roth / IBM Journal of Research
and Development, vol. 4, no. 5, Nov.,
1960, p 543 / IBM Corp., 590 Madison
Ave., New York 22, N. Y.
The general problem of the logical design of circuits with one output and no
feedback, is solved, using an algorithm
which this paper discusses. A discussion
of Boolean functions is followed by a lise
of the algorithm to solve a particular
problem. The solution, as programmed
on a 704 computer, is described in detail.
Two appendices discuss, "optimum criterion for termination," and, the "efficiency of the algorithm and of fast approximations."
Automatika and Telemechanika / University NAUK, Moscow, U. S. S. R. /
1960 (Tom. 21, no. 11), printed, 113
pp, cost ?
This issue of the Russian-language publication contains fourteen papers on subjects relating to automation and data processing. Some of the titles are: "Stability
of Nonlinear Controlled System," "Equivalent Transformations of Sequence Machines," "Calculation of Circuits for Stabilization of Compound Drives Using
Three-Winding Transformer," and, "On
Synthesis of Control Program in Systems
Involving Discrete Machines."
Automatizace / Publishers of Technical
Literature, ul. 51, Praha 2, Czechoslovakia / 1960 (no. 11), printed, 34 pp,
cost ?
This edition of the Czechoslovakian(COli/hilled 011 Paf!,(; 25)

COMPUTERS and

AUTO~[ATION

for March, 1961

LINKAGE SYSTEM PERMITS COMBINING ANALOG AND DIGITAL COMPUTERSPackard Bell Computer Division
Max Palevsky, Vice Presl
Packard Bell Electronics
Los Angeles, Calif.

'rs
y

It-

Compu,ter linkage equipment combining
analog and digital computers into a single
powerful system is now available on a standard product basis from this company. Prior
to this development, linkage systems were
custom-engineered for each application. Now,
a standard analog computer and anyone of
several digital computers can be "plugged together" without individual engineering.

curacy and repeatability attainable only with
digital devices. By combining the two types
of computers into a hybrid system, the advantages associated with each technique can be
utilized. The speed of the analog computer,
including its ability to solve differential
equations in real time, is thus combined with
the high resolution, accuracy, and repeatability of the digital computer.

Many engineering problems are encountered in our increasingly complex technology,
which require solution at speeds appropriate
to analog computers but with the extreme ac-

In addition, a digital computer permits
solution of problems involving logical decisions, the generation of arbitrary functions,
and computation requiring storage of intermediate results.

,ers
.ear

Summary
The following specifications describe the computer linkage systems.
Specifications
General System

Digital Computers Applicable
Dimensions
Grounding
Power
Temperature Range
Temperature Coefficient
Drift Rate
External Reference Option

PB 250, G-15, IBM 700-7000 Series
72" high by 24" wide by 22" deep
Analog and Digital Grounds are isolated
115 volts, 60 cycles, 250 watts
30 0 C ± 15 0 C
varies around ±0.004%/oC
less than ~0.006%/day
the system reference may be slaved to an external reference source of -100 volts full
scale

Analog-to-Digital Channels

DS-IIO(ll bit precision)

DS-113(14 bit precision)

Number of Channels
Analog Computer Outputs
Linkage System Load
A-to-D Accuracy
A-to-D Resolution
Multiplex and Convert Time
Frequency Without Sample and Hold
Frequency With Sample and Hold

4 (expandable to 30)
±100 volts
10,000 ohms
:to .1% (:t200 mv)
0.05% 000 mv)
115 microseconds
1.3 cps
140 cps

3 (expandable to 30)
:tlOO volts
10,000 ohms
10.05% (:1:100 mv)
0.01% (20 mv)
75 microseconds
0.7 cps
20 cps

4 (expandable to 30)
tlOO volts
5 ohms
±O .1% (:t200 mv)
0.05% 000 mv)

3 (expandable to 30)
±100 volts
5 ohms
:to.05% (*100 mv)
0.01% (20 mv)

l.
~-

:er

Digital-to-Analog Channels
Number
Analog
Output
D-to-A
D-to-A

of Channels
Computer Inputs
Impedance
Accuracy
Resolution.

COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

COMPUTER PRINT-OUT SYSTEM YIELDS 20,000
CHARACTERS A SECOND

and
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the
wil
of
pic
er i
per
can
and

Recordak Corporation
Subsidiary of Eastman Kodak Company
Wanamaker Place
New York 3, N.Y.
A new high-speed computer print-out system known as the Recordak DACOM converts information from magnetic tape into plain language on microfilm at speeds up to 20,000
characters per second. The new system derives its name from DAtascope fomputer Qutput Microfilmer.

0101

rec
sta.
errl

system complements modern computer
equipmenL, and provides print-out speeds which
will match computer output speeds. A complete
page of data, containing 64 lines of 126 characters each, or 8,064 characters, is produced
on a cathode ray tube by electronic and optical means reading the magnetic tape. It is
then photographed on microfilm. Each picture
can be reproduced "with graphic arts quality"
in approximately one-half second, in a single
16 mm. microfilm "frame". Any desired background format, such as an accounting form,
may also be optically combined with the inThe

formation from the tape, so that the data can
be reproduc~d in finished form.
Point-plotting can also be accomplished
with the DACOM System photographically and at
high speed. No overlays or descriptive labeling are required. Descriptions are automatically recorded by the system, which can vary
between the plotting mode and the typewriter
simulation mode at a sustained speed of
15,000 characters per second.

~~~~D~E~CO~D~I~NG3l
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PARITY
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TRANSFDRT

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COLLECTOR
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TO VIDEO
AMPLIFIER

DACOM FLYING SPOT
C+1ARACTER GENERATOR
8B

COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

the
to
fer
vic
par
tio

"DIGITAL ARITHMETIC CENTER" COMPONENT
FOR SYSTEMS
Mervin Eberle
Clary Corporation
408 Junipero St.
San Gabriel, Calif.

ld
ler

A component known as the Digital Arithmetic Center DAC-2500 is now available as an
off-the-shelf unit. This is the first time,
we believe, that this type of component has
been offered by a manufacturer as a stock
item.
It is a solid state component for insertion into computing, process control, instrumentation, and test systems.
It is compatible with all varieties of
input and output units and systems ~onc~pts.
Flexible input and output control cIrc~lts
allow a full range of peripheral equipment to
be easily connected with the center. These
include punched card and punched tape ~nit~,
analog-to-digital converters, digital voltmeters, X-Y plotters and printers.
Following are some of the specifications
of the DAC-2500:
Number system: decimal. Word length:
18 decimal digits and sign. Storage: magnetic drum. Storage capacity: 16 words per
channel with 10 channels available and two
. as standard equIpment.
.
channels'supplIed

. te
Ie

Access time: average 8.5 milliseconds.
Instructions: multiple address (up to five)
and multiple operations. Input of data: .
unique pulse per digit or binary coded decImal. Input of instructions: DC voltage to
proper connector pin or pins. Output:
unique pulse per digit or binary coded
decimal •

Size: 28 inches.long, 19 inches high,
13 inches wide. Weight: 97 pounds. Power:
117 volts AC, plus or minus 10 per cent,
100 watts maximum, 60 cycle, single phase.
Construction: modularized, solid state,
plug-in components.

NEW PHOTOELECTRIC SENSING DEVICE
VERIFIES 9O-COLUMN PUNCHED CARDS
Remington Rand
Division of Sperry Rand Corp.
315 Park Avenue South
New York 10, N.Y.
Photoelectric sensing has become an alternate method of verifying punched 90-column
tabulating cards. The principle is applied
through the use of a new Univac Photoelectric
Key Verifier.
The machine makes it possible to verify,
in one pass, either the Univac 63-character
code or the standard 9O-column, 37-character
code used by tabulating machines.
Each card, during verificationi, is in
full view of the operator. The operator
presses keys to express the information that
should be on the card, taking it from the
original source document. When a variation
in her keying and previous punching occurs,
the keyboard immediately locks at the colu'mn
in which the difference occurs, and an error
lamp lights. The operator can then re-key and
proceed if the error was hers, or reject the
card if the error was in the previous punching.
If erroneous, the card will automatically be
delivered to the error receiver rather than
the normal receiver.

Ie
.0

-- The Clary Digital
Arithmetic Center

:le
If
In-

11
Ie

COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

COMPUTER WITH MAGNETIC TAPE TO PROCESS
COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS AND OTHER TESTS
Radio Corp. of America
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York 20, N.Y.
A computer system with a magnetic tape
memory has been put to use in the processing
of college entrance examinations and other
nationwide testing programs.
An all-transistor RCA 501 is now at
Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New
Jersey, to facilitate the reporting and interpreting of test results on the College
Board examinations administered six times a
year throughout the world.

Utilizing a Univac computer, magnetic
tape, punched cards, and teletype equipment,
the customer found that the use of punched
cards slowed down the entire process.
The Model 0105 converter eliminates the
need for punched cards, and thereby saves
processing time, saves computer time, and
eliminates some of the possibilities for
error. The converter translates and edits
the required information from the magnetic
tape reel directly to teletype tape. As a
result, all inventory control information
can be transmitted to all the warehouse
centers within one hour.
Since it is bi-directional,it also converts orders received from distributors via
teletype tape directly to magnetic tape, in
the format required by the Univac computer.

The computer is associated with an electronic scoring and data transcription machine.
The system is able to process 100 test
papers per minute. In addition to the main
computer unit, the system includes a highspeed memory containing more than 32,000
characters, 7 magnetic tape memory units,
each storing 10 million characters, and a
card reader and a card punch. Reports are
produced on a high-speed printer capable of
printing 10 120-character lines per second.
CONVERTER TRANSFERS 50 WORDS PER SECOND
FROM MAGNETIC TAPE TO PAPER TAPE
OR VICE VERSA
Eugene Leonard
Digitronics Corp.
Albertson Ave.
Albertson, L.I., N.Y.
A new converter that transfers information from paper tape to magnetic tape or from
magnetic tape to paper tape at 50 words per
second has been developed for the Wear-Ever
Aluminum Co., a subsidiary of Alcoa.
The Model 0105 bi-directional converter
will speed up the processing of orders and
inventory information, and will reduce the
overall time requirements in some cases (including mail handlings) from two days to one
hour.
Prior to the use of the converter, the
Alcoa subsidiary was faced with the problem
of finding a way to step up the time required
for the receipt and transmission of information between the main data processing center,
the several warehouse centers, and its distributors throughout the country.

lOB

mai
40

HISTORI~

TELEPHONE EXPERIMENT BEGINS
IN MORRIS, ILLINOIS

Bell Telephone Laboratories
Murray Hill, N.J.
Bell Telephone Laboratories engineers
have created a revolutionary new central
office. At Morris, Illinois, an experimental
model of it has been linked to the Bell System communications network and is being tried
out in actual service with a small group of
customers.
This is a special electronic central
office which does not depend on mechanical
relays or electromagnets. A photographic
plate is its permanent memory. Its "scratch
pad," or temporary memory, is a barrier grid
storage tube. Gas-filled tubes make all connections. Transistor circuits provide the
logic.
The new central office is versatile, fast
and compact. Because it can store and use
enormous amounts of information, it makes possible new kinds of services that will be explored in Morris. For example, some day it
may be feasible for you to ring other extensions in your home • • . to dial people you
frequently call merely by dialing two digits
••• to have your calls transferred to a
friend's house where you are spending the
evening • • . to have other numbers called in
sequence when a particular phone is busy.
The idea behind the new central office
was understood 20 years ago, but first engineers of this laboratory had to create new
technology and devices to bring it into being. An invention of this laboratory, the
transistor, is indispensable to its economy
and reliability.
COMPUTERS and A UTOMA TION for March, 1961

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DIGITAL SHAFT ENCODER ACCURATE UP TO
ONE PART IN 2 MILLION

:s.

Data-Tech
238 Main Street
Cambridge 42, Mass.

SIMPLE CARD PUNCH OF SOURCE DATA
Datanamics, Inc.
7400 Deering Ave.
Canoga Park, Calif.

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;cs
1M

lce
~d

A miniature, high accuracy, digital shaft
encoder has been developed by this company.
The unit is designed for high accuracy, limited space and power, and low torque, such as
needed in guidance and navigation systems.
It is called Vernisyn.
Devices currently in use require from 10
to 100 times the volume, weight and power of
the Vernisyn units. In a l~" diameter by 2"
length, including electronics, the new units
can give resolutions as may be required of
one part in 214 , 215 , and 216 in a single
turn. Other configurations and accuracies up
to 221 are available to suit.
Output is in the form of alternate fine
and coarse pulse trains on separate lines.
The pulse trains provide a complete angular
position answer with respect to a reference
radius, into a 14 to 16 stage binary counter,
every 40 milliseconds.
Accuracy is maintained up to slew rates
of 1 minute to 4 minutes per second without a
time correction. At higher rates the accuracy
may be maintained if desired by means of a
time correction, since the answers are valid
at the start of the fine count. As an optional feature, provision may be made to syn~
chronize answers with the sampling clock for
much greater slew rates within the required
accuracy. Fine counts will be significant up
to slew rates of approximately 100 to 40 0 per
second, but with coarse readings valid at any
speed.

A Source Data Recorder, a device that
eliminates a major bottleneck in sales by
credit card, has been developed by this co~
pany.
A compact, lightweight, simple unit, the
Source Data Recorder is a machine that imprints
and punches IBM cards at point-of-origin in
preparation for automatic machine accounting.
It helps solve a major problem for concerns
that use credit cards.
The machine is planned for installation
at gasoline stations, banks, hotels, restaurants, department stores, in fact in any small
or large business with a large volume of sales
via credit cards. One California oil company
alone has 4,000 West Coast filling stations
with monthly credit card sales involving more
than 1,000,000 transactions.
Under present methods, a mountain of
credit charge slips must be optically scanned
or manually keypunched to show account number
and amount; and then the slips pass through
several other steps before the accounting for
each sale is completed. The Source Data
Recorder eliminates these two major bottlenecks, through punching the amount of sale and
the sale location at the time of sale.

The device makes use of a dynamic readout
technique. Thus the life of the transducer is
a function of motor bearing life. A few watts
of 400 cycle 2 phase (if available) and/or 28
volts D.C. comprise the required power.
Electronics 'for the device include the
necessary shaping and logical switching circuitry to convert transducer output into the
above described pulse trains.
lse
19

COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

lIB

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK BEGINS SHIPMENT OF
CONWUTER-PROCESSED CHECKS

tingof information to a specially developed
high-speed printer.

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
, 925 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia 1, Pa.

This printer is capable of producing
documents at speeds up to about 20 lines per
second with a print span of 132 numeric
characters. These speeds permit the bank to
prove, list, and maintain an audit trail at
the same speed as the checks arc sorted.
The printer utilizes interchangeable numeric
and alphabetic chains of engraved type which
permit the bank to prepare automatically a
summarizing cash letter to accompany each
batch of checks.

This bank recently began the first shipments of electronically processed checks to
selected banks in the Third District of the
Federal Reserve System.
Eighty-five southern New Jersey banks in
the District were the first to receive checks
processed through a newly installed computer
system. Other Third District banks in Delaware and Pennsylvania will be added within 60
days.
This bank serves more than 600 Delaware,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania banks, and is one
of five Reserve Banks in the nation chosen to
study automated check handling equipment.
Similar pilot programs are being conducted at
the Federal Reserve Banks of New York, Boston,
Chicago and San Francisco. Each will test
equipment manufactured by a different company.
Reserve Banks are installing and testing specially designed high-speed equipment to catch
up with the public's increasing use of checks.
The Philadelphia electronic system is
manufactured and installed by International
Business Machines Corporation and is known as
the IBM 1412/1401 Data Processing System. It
is the first such IBM system to be installed
in any bank in the nation. The computer system is supplemented by encoding machines made
by the National Cash Register Company.
Key to the system is a high-speed check
sorter which will "read" magnetic ink characters printed on paper checks, transmit the information into the computer and sort the
checks into proper sequence at the rate of
57,000 per hour.

Voh
Nur

"DO IT YOURSELF" ANALOG COMPUTER COl'llPONENTS
Charles J. Marsh
Electronic Associates, Inc.
Long Branch, N.J.
A transistorized, "do-it-yourself" special purpose analog computer that will perform a variety of laboratory, engineering and
process control computing tasks is being introduced by this company.
Known as the TR-5 Mounting Unit, it makes
it possible for special purpose analog computers to be assembled easily and without the
problems usually associated with such a task.
Solid state analog computing components simply plug into the mounting unit where they
may be interconnected according to the computing function to be performed.
The TR-5 mounting unit contains all the
controls necessary to operate a 20-amplifier
computer. The basic unit will house up to
six computing omponents and a fully-transistorized power supply. It may be expanded to
large-computer capability by adding units.

As checks are sorted by the readersorter, the computer directs the editing,
sorting, classifying, proving t and transmit-

The PACE solid state analog computing
components may be combined to perform a variety of laboratory and engineering functions.
In the research laboratory the'computing
components may be used as a general purpose
device to condition data to generate special
forcing functions, to instrument special laboratory control systems, or to provide electrical isolation between components and circuits. If desired, the components may be
combined to perform signal manipulations
such as addition and subtraction, multiplication or division, integration or filtering,
attenuation and amplification, holding of
analog voltages, or generation of functions -squares, square root, logarithm, antilog, or
arbitrary.

12B

COMPUTERS and AUTOMATION for March, 1961

Checks processed by the 1412/1401 bear
strange-looking numerals which can be read by
both man and machine. The numbers, which denote customer account, bank identification,
check amount and reserve bank routing codes,
are part of a new common language code sponsored by the American Bankers Association.
Approximately 30 per cent of all checks now
handled by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve
Bank bear these numberals, and the number is
growing at a rate of 8 to 10 per cent each
month.

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Survey of Recent Articles

ll1g

language publication contains four papers
on suhjects relating to data processing, including. ".\uglllenting the "Torking Reliahility of ~reasuring and Control Systellls." and "Position Transducers." Fifteen
brief reports on progress in various data
processing projects in Europe are included.

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Data Processing and Company Organization / E. Frederick Halstead / .Tournal
of Machine Accounting, vol. 11, no. 12,
Dec .• 19fiO, p 14 I J. of M. A .• 1750
'Vest Central Rd., Mt. Prospect, Illinois.
The cOlllputer's role as an accountant's
tool in advancing his status in company
managelllent is discussed. Various ways
of comlllunicating with the machine and
interpreting its output are described. A
list of questions which the accountant
must answer, if he is to apply data processing successfully and economically, arc
presented, and some solutions are discussed.
Debut of First "Cobol" Narrator Rounds
Out Complete RCA Automatic Programming Systems to Make Use of
Electronic Computers Easier I Howard
Bromberg, Mgr., Aut. Prog., RCA
Electronic Data Processing Div. / Journal of Machine Accounting, vol. 11,
no. 12, Dec., 1960, p 20 / J. of M. A.,
1750 Wt.·st Central Rd., Mt; Prospect,
Illinois.
One of t he first applications of the
Common Business Oriented Language is
described. The article discusses the features of t he compiler, then discusses a
problem to which it was applied. Examples of the solutions Cobol provided
accompany the text. A brief discussion
of ALGOL (Algorithmic Language), is
includell.
Russians Drive for Automation I Business 'Vt.·pk, Nov. 19, 1960, p 59 / McGraw-IIiII Pub. Co., Inc., 330 West
42 St., Nt'w York 36, N. Y.
The resca rch and development of automation techniques within the Soviet Union are discussed. Some Russian accomplishments in automatic control arc considered to be more advanced than similar
activities in the U. S.; these accomplishments are described. Soviet methods of
narrowing the gap between theory and
practice are explained, and a number of
examples where automation has been applied are given.
Monsanto Unveils Integrated ComputerControlled Process I Instruments &
Control Systems, vol. 33, no. 11, Nov.,
1960, part I, p 1888 / The Instruments
Pub. Co .• Inc., 845 Ridge Ave., Pittsburgh 1:!. Penna.
A set of brief reports discuss every aspect of the data processing system used to
control an ammonia manufacturing plant.
The computer, installation and maintenance, and the mathematical model, are
described. The final report discusses "economic justification," where the feasihility
of thc system is pointed out.
Why COlllllUters Take Up Games / Business \V('"k, Nov. 26, 1960, p 137 / McGraw-Hili Pub. Co .• Inc., 330 West 42
St., New York 36, N. Y.
This article descrihes the activities at
~r. I. T.'s COlllputation Center in the area
of teaching a computer to play chess,
checkers alld ot her games. The purpose
of these alliviti('s in artificial intelligence
is to help d('vis(' programs which can use
logic to retri('\'(' illformatioll alld to evaluate cOllcepts. Silllilar work beillg performed hy R.\;\;J) Corp.'s ~umerical
.-\nalysis dcpartlllcnt is discussed.

It's almost sinfully easy to drive rotarybar printers when you use DI/AN's RBP
Series Buffer and Control Units. All the
control functions, accessory features,
and format flexibility a reasonable man
could want - in a surprisingly compact
package. We leave room for three extra
cards-for unreasonable special requirements. All solid-state, magnetic-storage

An "Eye" for Oil I Noyes D. Smith, Jr.,
V. P., Shell Development Co., Houston,
Tex. / Systems Magazine, May-June,
1960, pp 3-4 I Systems Magazine,
Sperry Rand Corp., 315 Park Ave.,
South, New York, N. Y.
Scientific calculations necessary in the
tasks of finding and producing petroleum
are performed hy a Univac HO Computer.
This hrief report descri bes some of the
prohlems which the computer solves, and
discusses the manner in which a major oil
company familiarizes its personnel with
data processing.
Dt.·sk Top Computer and Companion
Direct-Writing Recorder I David A.
Taskett / Automatic Control, vol. 13,
no. 6, Dec., 1960, p 49 / Reinhold
Pub. Corp., 430 Park Ave., New Yorl,;
22, N. Y.
The use of a small analog computer in
the investigation and analysis of small or
partial systems, and for simulation, is
described. In particular, a techniquc for
obtaining solutions to prohlems in network analysis and in positional control,
is presented. Circuitry diagrams accompany the text.
Pneumatic Computer Research in the
U. S. S. R. I Raymond N. Auger I Automatic Control, vol. 13, no. 6, Dec.,
1960, p 43 / Reinhold Pub. Corp., 430
Park Ave., New York 22, N. Y.
This article reports on research and development at the Institute of Automatics
and Tclemechanics in pneumatic computation technology including digital plug-in
logic blocks. subminiature air foil relays,
etc. The components of a system which
controls the tlow of fluids are descrihed,
alld economical aspects of the system are
discussed. Photographs of the components accompany the article .

COMPUTERS ([wi AUTOl\[ATION for March, 1961·

circuitry with proven reliability. Price
and delivery will discourage you from
building your own.
We want to send you a handful of specification and applications literature on
our complete line of sequential-access
and special-purpose buffers. Fascinating
reading. Write today.

new Soundcraft MAGNA-SEE Kit
makes magnetic tracks visible!
Track placement
• Head alignment· Pulse definition
(size and width)
• Drop-out areas and
other trouble-spots

Checks for: •

Magna-See Kit
contains: ~ pint
Magna-See Solution • Plastic bath
• Eye-piece magnifier • Pressure
sensitive tape
• 5 glass slides for
permanent copies
of tracks, and complete instructions.
For free MAGNA·SEE
brochure, write

REEVES

SOUN DCRAFTcORP.

GREAT PASTURE ROAD, DANBURY, CONNECTICUT

BOOKS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS

ren

Moses M. Berlin

the

pay

Cambridge, Mass.

We publish here citations and
brief reviews of books and other
publications which have a significant relation to computers, data
processing, and automation, and
which have come to our attention.
"'\Ve shall be glad to report other information in future lists if a review
copy is sent to us. The plan of each
entry is: author or editor / title /
publisher or issuer / date, publication process, number of pages,
price or its equivalent / comments.
If you write to a publisher or issuer, we would appreciate your
mentioning Computers and Automation.
Sangren, Ward C. I Digital Computers
and Nuclear Reactor Calculations I
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 440 Fourth
Ave., New York 16, N. Y. I 1960,
printed, 208 pp, $8.50.
Primarily, this book is for the nuclear
engineer; however, some of the information, especially about numerical analysis
techniques, will be of use to applied
mathematicians and scientists. There are
two major sections; the first section of the
book, chap. 1-4, discusses reactor problems,
computers, programming, and numerical

analysis. The second section, chapters 5
to 8, arc: A Code for Fisson-Product
Poisoning; Diffusion and Age-Diffusion
Calculations; Transport Equation-Monte
Carlo; and Additional Reactor Calculations. Index and bibliography are included.
Boas, Ralph P., Jr. I A Primer of Real
Functions I a Carus Mathematical
Monograph of the Mathematical Association of America I John Wiley &
Sons, 440 Park Ave., South, New York
16, N. Y. I 1960, printed, 189 pp, $4.00.
The purpose of this text is to introduce
a few of the concepts and methods of real
variables, assuming that the reader has
no previous knowledge of the subject. In
the first chapter, "Sets," countable and uncountable sets are discussed, along with
open and closed sets, compactness, sets of
measure zero, and Baire's theorem. The
second chapter, "Functions," includes continuous functions, uniform convergence,
linear, convex, monotonic and infinitely
differentiable functions. Notes, answers to
exercises, and an index, arc included.
Elektronische Datenverarbeitung I Friedr.
Vieweg & Sohn, (20b) Braunschweig,
Burgplatz 1, W. Germany.
This publication offers papers dealing
articles offer information about program
controlled processes and applications of
with basic ideas and special themes in
automation and digital computers. The
computers.

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ALGO I Bendix Computer Div., 5r.:W
Arbor Vitae St., Los Angeles 45, Calif.
I 1960, printed, 28 pp, free on request.
The algebraic compiler for the Bendix
G-IS digital computer, is the subject of
this publication. ALGO, a machine language which closely parallels algebra, is
described in detail. In seven chapters, the
language, numerical data, control statements, programs, and arrays are discussed.
A typical program is given. An index is
included.
Bellman, Richard I Adaptive Control
Processes, A Guided Tour I Princeton
University Press, Princeton, N. J. I
1961, printed, 258 pp, $6.50.
This book presents a unified approach
to the field of control theory, including a
technique "for making problems involving deterministic, stochastic, and adaptive
processes of both linear and nonlinear
type amenable Ito machine solution." A
new mathematical method is described,
which scientists can use to solve problems
in theory and application. Eighteen chapters, each covering an entire aspect of the
subject, and each containing a "summing
up" and a bibliography, are, presented.
Some of the headings are: Feedback Control and the Calculus of Variations, Uncertainty and Random Processes, The
Theory of Games and Pursuit Processes,
Some Aspects of Communication Theory,
and Successive Approximation. The hook
is a RAND Corp. research study.
Boulding, Kenneth E., and W. Allen
Spivey I Linear Programming- and the
Theory of the Firm I The MacMillan
Co., 60 Fifth Ave., New York 11, N. Y.
I 1960, printed, 227 pp, $6.00.
Recent developments relevant to the
"theory of the firm" are discussed in this
book. The developments concern economics, linear programming, operations
research, management science, cybernetics,
and sociology. The seven chapters, consisting in part of papers delivered at a
1958 seminar at the Univ. of Michigan,
include some basic mathematical concepts,
and an introduction to linear programming, in addition to information on the
above mentioned topics. A bibliography
and an index are included.
Sparks, Fred W. I A Survey of Basic
Mathematics-A Text and Workbook
for College Students I McGraw-HilI
Book Co., Inc., 330 West 42 St., New
York 36, N. Y. I 1960, printed, 257 pp,
$3.95.
The basic mathematics includes: 1) a
comprehensive review of arithmetic; 2)
algebra through quadratic equations.
logarithms, ratio, proportion and yariation; 3) graphs and graphical representation of statistics; 4) numerical trigonometry. Each portion of the ,text is followed
by practice problems. The book contains
thirteen chapters, a group of test prohlems and answers, and an index.
Shultz, George P., and Thomas L. Whisler, editors, and 11 more authors I
Management Organization and the
Computer I The Free Press, Glencoe,
Ill. I 1960, printed, 257 pp, $7.50.
This hook contains the proceedings of
a seminar in Feb., 1959, at the Graduate
School of Business, University of Chicago,
on "Management Organization and Computers," with emphasis on husiness information processing. The four sections
of the hook are headed: I. Information

COMPUTERS lind AUTOMATION for March, 1961

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Technology and ~lanagement Organization; 2. Technical Developments and
Their Usc hy Management; 3. Organizatjon: Conccpts and Problems; 4. Information Technology: Experience in Five
Companics. Thirteen papers plus discllssions on the papers, are included.
Bihliography and index.
Gartner, Dr. Wolfgang W. / Transistors:
Principles, Design, and Applications /
D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., 120 Alexander St., Princeton, N. J. / 1960,
printed, 675 pp, $12.50.
A comprehensive and highly technical
work, this hook has four parts: The Transistor; Semi-Conductor Physics; Transistor
Design, COllstruction and Characteristics;
and Transistor Applications. The author
is ~Ianagcr, Electronic Semi-Conductor
Departmcllt, CBS Laboratories, Stamford,
Conn. In twenty chapters, the author
discusses the P-N Junction transistor, amplifiers, pulse circuitry, oscillators, etc.
Five appendices give "Values of the Fundamental Constants" and various tables
and data. Index.
Gregory, Robert H., and Richard L. Van
Horn / Automatic Data-Processing
Systems, Principles and Procedures /
Wadsworth Pub. Co., Inc., San Francisco, Calif. / 1960, printed, 705 pp,
cost ?
The purpose of this book is to prescnt
;1Il introduction to, and information on,
automatic data processing, in a style and
using terminology that will be readily understood hy management-businessmen.
accountants. and others unfamiliar with
thc technical aspects of computers and
automation. The authors have covered, in
seven pariS, such topics as: Processing
Data by ~Iachine, Basic Computer Programming, Input-Output Equipment. Cost
and Valuc, Systcms Economics, Scientific
Decision Processes, and Prospcctivc Developments. Three appcndices includc: history of colllputation, qucstions and prohlems, ;111(1 a glossary of automatic data
processing tcrminology. A list of illustrations and an index follow the text.
Van Vallu'nburg, M. E. / Introduction
to Modl'rn Network Synthesis I John
Wiley &. Sons, Inc.. 440 Fourth Ave.,
New York ]6, N. Y. / 1960, printed,
498 pp, $11.75.
A colllprehensive advanced study of
Illodern llIethods of network synthesis is
presented in this book. Beginning with a
discussion of Brune's positive real functions, the author proceeds to discuss synthesis procedures, approximation, and the
relationship of parts in a network system.
Some of the topics covered in the sixteen
chapters, arc: Double Terminated Networks, Serics and Parallel Realizations, and
Symllletrical Lattice and Constant-Resistance Networks. A bibliography and an
index arc included.
Epstein, I •. Ivan / Nomography / Interscience Publishers, Inc., 250 Fifth Ave.,
New York 1, N. Y. / 1960, printed, 134
pp, $4.50.
Nomograms-alignment charts consisting of thrce scales-arc studied in this
book. The first of eight chapters discusses det(,)"llIinants, after which information is ~i\'en about addition and multiplicatioll nomograms, and c i r cui a r
nomograms- Chapters are devoted to
Kellogg's met hod and to Empirical Nomography. ,\ hihliography a~d an index are
included.
Truitt, T. D., and A. E. Rogers / Basics
of Analog COIl1))u,ters / John F. Rider
Publishl'r, Inc., P(i West 14 St., New
Yorl{, N. Y. I '1961, ofTsl't, 400 pp,
$12_50.
The COII('CptS. dcviccs, alld applicatiolls
of the analog' COlllputcr are discussed ill
COl\JPU'nq~s lIlIa

Senior Methods Analysts, Scientific Applications
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You're a vital member of a company whose equipment is universally accepted and respected ... a company that's growing ... expanding its EDP offices
and facilities throughout the country. Because of
this, you're able to choose your own location.
The qualifications required: for Senior Methods
Anal1lsts, an extensive background in EDP systems
analysis and a knowledge of programming methods
and planning. F'ol' Sdentijic Applications Specialists,
a minimum of three years' experience in scientific
computations on EDP tape equipment, plus systems experience.
For Sales Representatives, a background that includes
at least one year of on-quota EDP sales experience
with either government or commercial clients, and
a thorough EDP systems knowledge.
Call or send your resume to the nearest RCA
Electronic Data Processing Division office for
confidential consideration of your qualifications:
Mr. R. W. Baumann, Pers. Mgr.,
Northeastern Reg.
45 Wall Street
New York, 5, New York
HAnover 2-1811

Mr. R. W. Stephens, Pers. Mgr.,
Western Reg.
11819 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, 64, Calif.
BRadshaw 2-8842

Mr. R. C. Mercer, Pers. Mgr.,
Cent. & Southeastern Reg.
RCA Cherry Hill, Bldg. 204-1
Camden, 8, New Jersey
WOodlawn 3-8000,
Ext. PY 5444

Mr. M. G. Young, Pers. Mgr.,
Fed. Gov't Sales
1725 K Street, N.W.
Washington, 6, D.C.
FEderal 7-8500

AUTOMATION for ~larcl1, 1961

The Most Trusted Name in Electronics
®

RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA

'27

Univac now has a number of opportunities for participation in exceptionally interesting projects which offer
both professional and personal reward. These positions
are highly significant in their potential for advancement,
and experienced and capable people are urged to investigate them immediately.
SAI~_:r

PAUL,

~INN.
COMPUTER APPLICATIONS ANALYSTS
MILITARY SYSTEMS ANALYSTS
COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS
COMPUTER LOGICAL DESIGNERS
ENGINEER WRITERS

For the above positions in Ollr St. Paul, Minn., laboratories,
send resume of experience and education to:

R. K. PATTERSON
Remington Rand Univac • Univac Park. St. Paul, Minnesota

. SAN, DI EGO,

~ALI

COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS
MILITARY SYSTEMS ANALYSTS
SYSTEMS TEST & EVALUATION ENGINEERS
For data extraction and reduction, debugging of equipment,
and systems integration.

The above positions are now available at Remington Rand Univac
in San Diego. Send resume of experience and education to:
WI L LlA M LOWE
Remington Rand Univac • P. O. Box 6068 • San Diego 6, Calif.

DIVISION OF SPERRY RAND CORPORATION

There are also immediate openings ill all areas of digital computer
development at ollr other laboratories. Inqlliries should be addressed to:
F.E. NAGLE
Remington Rand Univac
1900 West Allegheny
Philadelphia 29, Pennsylvania

D. CLAVELOUX
Remington Rand Univac
Wilson Avenue
South Norwalk, Connecticut

detail and with plentiful illustrations;
generally, the language is simple enoug-h
for the beginner. Following- a descriptioll
of symbols and an explanation of ahhreviations, three volumes with cleven chapters, discuss characteristics of analog- machines, computer building hlocks, gelleral
purpose computers, linear computing- (,Olll·
ponents. programming, and problems, etc.
,\ glossary, llotations and an index arc
included.
Integrated Data Processing and Computers, Report on a Mission to the
United States by a Group of European
Experts / Organization for European
Economic Co-operation, Suite 1223,
1346 Connecticut Ave., N.'V., 'Vashington 6, D. C. / November, 1960, printed,
81 pp, $1.75.
The U. S. computer industry, as viewed
by a group of European observers, is reported on. The different areas of cOllsideration are discussed in chapters with such
titles as; Integrated Data Processing, Problems of Installing E.D.P., Government's
Role, and seven others. Eleven appendices
include some examples of applications,
information ahout training programs, and
COBOL.
Lebedev, S. A., editor, and 8 authors /
Computer Engineering / Pergamon
Press, Inc., 122 East 55 St., New York
22, N. Y. / 1960, photo-offset, 184 pp,
$10.00
The subject of computer engineering
is discussed in eight papers, which are
translations into English from the original
Russian. The authors are design specialists who have worked on Soviet computers. Some of the titles are; "The Power
Supply System of BES~f," "Dig-ital Integrating Machines," "Dynamic Flip-flops
and Their Use in Parallel Action Computers," and "The Role of the Ferrite
Core in a Matrix Storage Unit." The last
paper presents a list of the basic nomenclature and the definitions of technical
terms.
Ungar, A., editor, and 14 authors / Proceedings of the 1959 Computer Applications Symposium / Armour Research
Foundation, Illinois Institute of Technology, 10 West 35 St., Chicago, Ill. /
1960, printed, 155 pp, $3.00.
The fourteen papers delivered at the
symposium and the texts of two panel
discussions are here published. The main
theme concerns communication between
man and the computer, with some of the
papers discussing the relative merits of
automatic programming and language design. Some of the Topics are; "The International Algebraic Language and the
Future of Programming," "Current Developments in Common-Language Programming for Business Data Systems," and
"A ?\Iodern Approach to Inventory Control Utilizing a Large-Scale EDP~L"
The Replacement and Expansion of Durable Equipment / Frank W. Sinden /
.TournaI of the Society for Industrial
and Applied Mathematics, vol. 8, no.
3, Sept., 1960, p 466 / S. I. A. M., Box
7541, Philadelphia 1, Penna.
This paper discusses various concepts
behind equipment replacement and/or
expansion, directed toward facilities which
provide a service. Hypothetical policies
are presented, defined and discussed. Two
theorems arc stated and proved, and special cases arc mentioned. Applications of
the theories arc discussed.
Digest of Military Electronics / RCA
Service Co., Govt. Services, Bldg. 210,
Camden 8, N . .T. / 1961, offset, 205 pp,
$3.95.
The technical language and nomenclature of current military electronics applications is explained in a non-technical
COMPUTERS and A UTO~IATION for March, 1961

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Compo Centre, Palazzo degli Uffici,
Zona dell' E. U. R., Rome, Italy / 1960,
(July-Oct., 1960, nos. 10-11), printed,
c. 120 pp, cost ?
This edition of the hulletin contains
reports Oil international progress in reo
search in, and development of, autOlnaCOOI{l', Nelson M. and John Markus /
tion techniques. A review of "Soviet
Electronics and Nucleonics Dictionary
d
/McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 330 West
Computer Technology in 1959," an
42 St., New York 36, N. Y. / 1960,
"News of Computing Laboratories," are
printed, 543 pp, $12.00.
included. The second part of the bulThis new edition of the dictionary inletin (un-numbered pages) consists of a
cludes terms of nuclear science and eleclisting of computation centers in various
tronics. The 12,000-odd entries are precountries, their equipment, nature of
sentell clearly yet without making sacrifices
work, and training facilities.
in technical accuracy. More than 400 of
Gibson, E. Dana / Trends in the Educathe definitions are accompanied by illustional Use of Computers in Schools
trations.
of Business, Monograph 1.1. Oct., 1960
I Bureau of Business and Economic
Leveson, .J. H., editor, and 11 authors I
Research, San Diego State College,
Electronic Business Machines / PhilSan Diego 15, Calif. / 1960, offset, 127
osophical Library, Inc., 15 East 40 St.,
pp, cost ?
New Yorl{, N. Y. / 1960, printed, 272
This paper reports on a study made by
pp, $15.00.
questionnaires sent out, returr~ed. and
This book in 19 chapters provides the
tabulated, conducted to detefllllne what
basis for all introductory study of the apschools of husiness were doing to edu(,ate
plications of computers to industrial
their students for the computing age. The
needs, and offers information about refirst of four sections discusses the nature
cent developments in the field. The three
and background of the study, including
sections of the book are: Programming
information about the schools which pres.
for Business Purposes; Business Manageently have the use of a computer. Suh.
ment and Electronic Data Processing; and
sequent sections present methodology. a
Computer Equipment and Applications.
summary of findings, and conclusions and
The nineteen chapters, include as topics:
recommendations. Eight appendices reprogramming; economics of computers;
late the experiences of some of the intclecomm IInications; and managerial destitutions with their computation centers.
cisions for computers and organization
A list of publishers in the field, and a
patterns, etc. The hook is printed in
bibliography, are included.
Great Britain. Index.
Reifter, Erwin, Project Director, and 6
List of Books on Automatic Control/other authors / Linguistic and EngiUnited Nations Educational Scientific
nee ring Studies in the Automatic
and Cultural Organization, Place de
Translation of Scientific Russian into
Foutenoy, Paris, France /1960, mimeoEnglish, Technical Report, Phase II /
graphed, 73 pp, cost?
Univ. of \Vashington Press, Seattle 5,
Books on the theory and application
'Vash. I 1960, offset, 492 pp, $10.00.
of analog and digital computers arc listed.
This is a second report under a conunder such classifications as: Theory of
tract with the Air Force on research in
Automatic Control, Applications of Alllothe field of machine translation conducted
matic Control to Industry, Transportaat the Univ. of 'Washington under the
tion, and Transmissions, Physical and
sponsorship of the Intelligence Lab.,
Mechanical Domains of Applications of
Rome Air Devt. Center, U. S. Air Force.
Automati(' Control, an(l Miscellaneous.
The first part of the book is entitled
The foreword and classifications are given
"Linguistic Analysis," and includes four
in English and Russian. .\n authors' inpapers on linguistics and lexicography. A
dex is incl uded.
section, pp. 183-348, presen ts simulated
The Instrument Manual/United Trade
machine translations. Part 2 of the book
Press Ltd., 9 Gough Sq., Fleet St., Lonis entitled "Engineering Analysis," and
don, E. C. 4, Eng. / 1960, printed, 800
contains three articles on the use of compp, £5 5s. Od.
puters to process and translate texts. Two
The third edition of this publication
appendices discuss pattern recognition and
contains information about instruments
logic programming.
and automation equipment of almost
Malcolm, Donald G., and Alan J. Rowe,
every type. The book's sections include a
editors, and 25 authors / Management
summary of the types of equipment, bases
Control Systems / John Wiley & Sons,
of operation and calibration, details of
Inc., 440 Fourth Ave., New York 16,
installation, etc. A section "Computers
N. Y. / 1960, photo-offset, 375 pp, $7.25.
and Data Processing" covers analog comThe proceedings of a symposium held
puters. A survey of industrial uses is
at the System Development Corp., in July,
given, along with a list of institutions
1959, are here published. The nature of
which are interested in instrument techmanagement is discussed in six sections:
The Opportunity for Innovation in ~Iannology. More than 1000 illustrations accompany t he text. A Buyers' Guide, conagement Controls; The Concepts of ~[anversion factor tables and a general bibagement Control-Present Practices; The
liography are included.
Impact of Computers on the Design of
Bendix Computer Application Report, no.
Management Controls; Examples of Au14 I Bl'ndix Computer Div., Los Antomated Management Controls; New Apgeles ";i, Calif. / 1960, printed, 8 pp,
proaches; and Research in Management
free on rl'lluest.
Control System Design. Among the titles
This report concerns applications of
of the twenty papers presented are: "An
the G-I:i IOII'llllter to problems in the field
Appraisal of Current Computer Appliof chelllical engineering. A number of
cations," "Organization of the Data-Procchemical linlls describe their applications
essing Function," "Sylvania's Data Processof data plO(('ssing to process control, ining Center," and "A Computer-Simulated
ventory calculations, compound analysis,
Business Firm." Index.
and material and flow balance. Alncoal~nl~
Engineering and Technical Conventions,
puter exchange organization which
1961. with Advance Listings of Meettains a lihrar\, of G-!!', programs is deings Through 1965 / Deutsch and
scribed.
'
Shea. Inc., 230 West 41 St., New York
Bulletin of till' Provisional International
36, N. Y. I January, 1961, offset, 42
Comput.ation Centre / Provo Inter.
pp, $4.00.
manller. The terms, code names and
uniquely-used identifications are listed
alphahetically, with accompanying explanations. Where appropriate, diagrams
and/or ('harts are given. A very useful
hook.

,hed
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COMPUTERS alld A lJTOl\[ATION for l\'farch, 1961

New!
.. a working
guide to theory,
design and
application
including output
interpretation

DIGITAL COUNTERS
AND COMPUTERS
Invaluable for technicians and students alike,
this new, fully-illustrated 248·page book explains modern computer technology in clear,
concise terms. DIGITAL COUNTERS AND
COl\IPUTERS approaches its subject by clarifying basic "flip-flop," logic and switching circuits. Then it explains the number theories
and counting systems on which computer tech·
nology is based. Subsequent chaptel-s deal with
interpretation and use of computer outputs
in modern applications. A special section deals
with digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion. Subjects include: Number Systems;
Binary Counters; Readout Indicators and Special
Counter Tubes; Decade Counters; Storage
Devices; Computer Control; Input-Output Devices-Computer Applications and many more.
Price $8.75. l\Ioneyback guarantee.

A MANUAL OF SCOPES
AND THEIR USES
MODERN OSCILLOSCOPES AND THEIR
USES is the most popular
manual of its kind - because
it is the most complete and
1tllderstandable. J ncludes both
the theory and design of
'scopes as well as readily understandable instructions for
using thcsc versatile instruments f6r modern tests and
measurements and in teaching. Special chapters include
'scopes in the electronics industry; in radio-TV
servicing; photographing patterns; quantitative
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346
pages, 370 illustrations. Price $8.00.

New! Practical Guide to

SEMICONDUCTORS!
Wh"tever you can do
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outlines their
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an (I clarifies essential semi·
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reactors, photo cells, varistors, thermistors, parametric and magnetic devices, etc. Price $6.95.

10 DAYS FREE EXAMINATION
Dept. CA-31, Technical Div.,
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
383 Madison Ave., New York 17, N. Y.
Send following books for free examination. In 10 days I will either remit price
indicated (plus postage) or return books.
(Save! Send cash with order and we pay
postage. 10-day moneyback guaranteee.)

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Modern Oscilloscopes and Their Uses,
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(

ANALOG
CIRCUIT
DESIGN
The strictly realistic art of
analog circuit design
relates directly to our projects in inertial guidance.
If you have fine-line experience in the design and
development of transistorized circuits for servo
and analog computer
applications used in I.G.
systems, write to Mr.
Donald E. Krause.

. ..

Cooke, Nelson M. I Basic Mathematics
for Electronics, 2nd Edition I McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 330 West 42
St., New York 36, N. Y. I 1960, printed,
679 pp, $7.50.
The purpose of this hook is to provide
students of electronics and electrical suhjects with the hackground in mathematics
that is requisite for their studies. The
hook covers: review of basic arithmetic;
algebra with electrical applications; trigonometric functions, etc. In thirty-seven
chapters, il includes such topics as: "The
Slide Rule," "Ohm's Law-Series Circuits
and Parallel Circuits," etc. The author is
presidenl of Cooke Engrg. Co. An appendix consisting of standard mathematical
tables is included; solutions to the evennumbered problems of each chapter arc
given. Index. The previous edition had
32 printings.

Ii,

LITTON SYSTEMS, INC. Guidance&Control Systems Division
Beverly Hi"s, California
.

,\Imost 200 technical meetings of more
than 100 societies and organizations for
19G1 to 1955 are listed. The date, location, and title of each meeting is given.
rlldexes hy organization. technical subject,

."..

Sisson & Associates, Inc., II40 South
Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles :~5, Calif.
/1960, photo-offset, 656 pp, $69.00.
The EDP Idea Finder has heen aSSCIII·
hIed from the monthly Dala Proc('.uillg
Digest, to provide a compacl systcllIatically
ordered, collection of sUlllmarics of illl'
portant articles in the field. Thcse articles were previously digested alld the
summaries puhlished in Dala Pron'ssillg
Digrsl in 1957-59. The summaries are arranged under approximately 80 headillgs
stich as: The Role of EDP in ~(allage
ment; the Design of the EDP System;
Random Access Storage; Bibliographies,
Glossaries, Directories, etc. A list of peri·
odicals, puhlishers, titles of arlicles, and
an index are included.

'.,~

and geographical location are provided.
An appendix gives a list of the societies
and their addresses.
EDP Idea Finder, The Data Processing
Digest, 1957, 1958, 1959 I Canning,

Bartee, Thomas C. I Digital Computer
Fundamentals I McGraw-Hill Book Co.,
Inc., 330 West 42 St., New York 36,
N. Y. I 1960, printed, 342 pp, $6.50.
This book describes in understandable
terms the principles of electronic digital
computers. It contains chapters on computer operation, programming, number
systems, and the various units or clements
of the digital computer. Index.

ADVERTISING INDEX
Following is the index of advertisements. Each item contains: Name and address of the advertiser / page number
where the advertisement appears / name of agency if any.
American Telephone & Telegraph Co., Bell Telephone
System / Page 2 / N. W. Ayer & Son
Bendix Computer, 5630 Arbor Vitae St., Los Angeles 45,
Calif. / Page 9 / Shaw Advertising, Inc.
Burroughs Corp., 6071 Second Ave., Detroit 32, Mich. /
Pages 16, 17 / Campbell-Ewald Co.
Dialight Corp., 54 Stewart Ave., Brooklyn 37, N. Y. /
Page 26 / H. ]. Gold Co.
DI/ AN Controls, Inc., 40 Leon St., Boston 15, Mass. /
Page 25 / Keyes, Martin & Co.
Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Inc., 383 Madison Ave., New
York 17, N. Y. / Page 29 / The Harry P. Bridge Co.

The Mitre Corp., P. O. Box 208, 5-MQ, Bedford, Mass. /
Page 23 / Deutsch & Shea
National Cash Register Co., Main and K Sts., Dayton 9,
Ohio / Pages 22, 31 / McCann-Erickson Advertising
Philco Corp., Computer Div., Willow Grove, Pa. / Page
13 / Maxwell Associates, Inc.
Phil co Corp., Government & Industrial Group, Computer
Div., 3900 Welsh Rd., Willow Grove, Pa. / Page 3 /
Maxwell Associates, Inc.
Potter Instrument Co., Sunnyside Blvd., Plainview, N. Y.
/ Page 32 / Donaldson Associates, Inc.
Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. ]. / Page 24 /
Franklin Spier, Inc.
RCA, EDP Sales Office Employment, Camden, N. ]. /
Page 27 / Al Paul Lefton Co.

Litton Ind., Litton Systems, Inc., 5500 Canoga Ave.,
Woodland Hills, Calif. / Page 30 / Compton Advertising, Inc.

Reeves Soundcraft Corp., Great Pasture Rd., Danbury,
Conn. / Page 25 / The Wexton Co., Inc.

Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Co., Electronic Data
Processing Div., Wellesley Hills 81, Mass. / Page 5 /
Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn

Remington Rand Univac, Div. of Sperry Rand Corp.,
P. O. Box 6068, San Diego, Calif. / Page 28 / Mullen
& Associates, Inc.

COMPUTERS

(llld

A UTO~IATION for ?\Iarch, 19tH

(:0:\

This
Card ...

a new concept in Computers
can revolutionize your data
processing procedures.

This magnetic card is the heart of the National 315
Card Random Access Memory (CRAM) ... an unequalled advance in economical magnetic file processing.
In effect, a reel of magnetic tape-31ft inches
wide-has been cut into 256 strips forming addressable magnetic cards. A single card is capable
of storing 21,700 alpha-numeric characters. Each
card contains seven recording tracks that can be
addressed electronically by the central processor.
·1

The 256 cards (5,555,200 alpha-numeric characters) arc housed in a removable cartridge that
can be changed in less time than it takes to change

a reel of magnetic tape. Up to 16 CRAM files can be
operated on-line with the National 315 ... providing
88,883,200 alpha-numeric characters ... an unprecedented range of random accessible memory.
This unique system combines all the advantages
of random and sequential processing ... eliminates rewind time ... requires fewer files ...
speeds sorting, up-dating, and reporting routines.
INVESTIGATE THE NATIONAL 315 for economical price performance • For unusual expansibility • For high-speed, balanced processing • For
economy of programming • For ease of operation.

Learn why the National 315 is the most advanced electronic data
processing system available today. Call your nearby National office,
or write 10 Data Processing Systems and Sales, Dayton 9, Ohio.

THE NATIONAL CASH REGISTER COMPANY. Dayton 9, Ohio
M

1039 OFFICES IN 121 COUNTRIES .•. 77 YEARS OF HELPING BUSINESS SAVE MONEY

EUCTIONIC.1)ATA ftorUS/Nt;
AODJNGifUCHiHf$:O CASf(·irGISTERS
ACCOQNtl.NG ··"'ACH /NIStNCI{I'APIR

:llil

-.(

....

.' 1 .

, l
I
I

REELS IN
With the revolutionary new Potter High Density Recording System, each reel of I-inch
tape holds as much data as 11 'reels
recorded by the most widely used com.puter ta pe system.

"'\
, ·1

, I

For highly reliable computer applications,
Potter High Density recording can give
you data transfer rates of 360,000 alphanumeric characters per second or more, at
densities to 1500 bits per inch on I-inch
tape. Sixteen parallel channels can be
accommodated on one-inch tape. Because
Potter has made the information channels
self-clocking, no separate clock channel is
needed, and multichannel data can be read
out in true parallel form, despite interchannel time displacement.

In production units delivered by Potter, this
,dramatic new technique makes recording
so reliable that in 40 hours of continuous
operation,less than 2 seconds re-read time
are required to recover information lost
through transient error. Dropouts are fewer
7
than'l in 10 at densities up to 1500 bits
per inch. More than 20,000 passes of the
tape can be made without losing information or significantly increasing the dropout
rate.
Tested and proven in computer systems,
Potter High Density Recording is presently
available in the Potter 9061I High Speed
Digital Magnetic Tape Handler, and will be
available in other Potter Tape Systems.
Write today for details on how High Density
Recording can be applied to your data
handling problem.

See us at the IRE - Booths 3405-3407

•o

POTTER INSTRUMENT COMPANY, INC. • SUNNYSIDE BOULEVARD, PLAINVIEW, NEW YORK
V~

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